BEKKEl 

LIBRARY 


THE 


LIFE-- WORK 


OF  THE  AUTHOR  OF 


UNCLE  TOM'S  CABIN. 


BY 


FLORINE  THAYER  MCCRAY, 

Author  Of  "  ENVIRONMENT ;  A  STORY  OF  MODERN  SOCIETY,"  ETC. 


FUNK  &  WAGNALLS 
NEW  YORK :  LONDON : 

1889 

18  AND  20  ASTOE   PLACE.  44   FLEET  STREET. 

All  Rights  Reserved. 


Entered,  according  to  Act  of  Congress,  in  the  year  1889,  by 
FUNK  &  WAGNALLS, 

In  the  Office  of  the  Librarian  of  Congress 
at  Washington,  D.  C. 


M3 

1881 


CONTENTS. 


PAGE 
CHAPTER  I. 

HARRIET  BEECHEB  STOWE  AS  A  CHILD.  THE  INFLUENCES  OF  HEREDITY  AND 
ENVIRONMENT.  HER  ANCESTRY  AND  DIRECT  INTELLECTUAL  INHERIT 
ANCE.  THE  BRACING  ATMOSPHERE  OF  HER  HOME  AND  SCHOOL  LIFE. 
EARLY  RELIGIOUS  IMPRESSIONS.  HER  FIRST  COMPOSITION  AT  THE  AGE 
OF  NINE,  WRITTEN  UPON  "THE  DIFFERENCE  BETWEEN  THE  NATURAL  AND 
THE  MORAL  SUBLIME."  DISTINGUISHED  PEOPLE  WHO  GAVE  A  HIGH 
SOCIAL  STATUS  TO  LITCHFIELD  DURING  HARRIET  BEECHER'S  YOUTH. 
LITERARY  AND  POLITICAL  DISCUSSIONS 11 

CHAPTER  II. 

HARRIET  BEECHER  GOES  TO  HARTFORD  TO  SCHOOL.  SHE  BECOMES  ASSISTANT 
PUPIL  IN  THE  HARTFORD  FEMALE  SEMINARY.  HER  PERSONALITY  AS  A 
YOUNG  WOMAN.  REMOVAL  TO  CINCINNATI  WITH  HER  FAMILY  IN  1832. 
THE  SEMICOLON  CLUB.  LITERARY  ASSOCIATION.  PRIZE  STORY,  "  UNCLE 
LOT,"  WRITTEN  FOR  THAT  CLUB  AT  THE  AGE  OF  TWENTY-TWO.  HER 
MARRIAGE  TO  PROFESSOR  CALVIN  E.  STOWE  TWO  YEARS  LATER.  MATER 
NITY,  AND  A  NARROW  ESCAPE  FROM  DEATH  BY  CHOLERA  IN  THE  EPIDEMIC 
OF  1845.  PUBLICATION  OF  "  THE  MAYFLOWER  "  IN  1846.  REVIEW  OF 
"  UNCLE  LOT  "  AND  OTHER  SKETCHES.  THE  SLAVERY  QUESTION  BECOMES 
A  BURNING  ISSUE , 38, 

CHAPTER  III. 

PROFESSOR  STOWE  AND  HIS  FAMILY  LEAVE  CINCINNATI  AND  RETURN  TO 
BRUNSWICK,  MAINE.  THE  PERIOD  OF  GREATEST  EXCITEMENT  OVER  THE 
AMENDMENT  TO  THE  FUGITIVE  SLAVE  LAW.  MRS.  STOWE'S  FEELING  THAT 
NEW  ENGLANDERS  IN  GENERAL,  NEEDED  AN  EXPOSITION  OF  SLAVERY  AS 
IT  PREVAILED  IN  SOCIAL  DETAIL.  HER  INSPIRATION  FOR  HER  GREAT 
WORK  RECEIVED  AT  THE  COMMUNION  TABLE  IN  THE  LITTLE  CHURCH  AT 
BRUNSWICK.  THE  DEATH  OF  UNCLE  TOM  THE  FIRST  SCENE  WRITTEN. 
HER  DOMESTIC  SITUATION.  FAMILY  CARES  AND  DELICATE  HEALTH.  HER 
LITERARY  METHODS.  HER  MORAL  COURAGE  IN  VIEW  OF  THE  SUFFERINGS 
OF  ABOLITIONISTS.  PUBLICATION  IN  WEEKLY  INSTALLMENTS  IN  THE 
NATIONAL  ERA 60 


455 


11  CONTENTS. 

CHAPTER  IV. 

CONTINUATION  OP  THE  OUTLINE  OF  "  UNCLE  TOM'S  CABIN."  SLAVE  LIFE  IN 
NEW  ORLEANS.  UNCLE  TOM  THE  COACH-MAN  AND  STEWARD  OF  THE  ST. 
CLARE  ESTABLISHMENT.  HIS  GUARDIANSHIP  OF  LITTLE  EVA.  THE  DEATH 
OF  THE  SAINTED  CHILD.  THE  CHARACTERS  WHICH  ARE  FAMOUS.  THE 
BREAKING  UP  OF  THE  HOUSEHOLD.  TOM  IS  PLACED  UPON  THE  BLOCK 
AND  SOLD  TO  SIMON  LEGREE.  SCENES  UPON  A  RED  RIVER  PLANTATION. 
THE  DEATH  OF  UNCLE  TOM.  HIS  EXPERIENCE  AN  EPITOMIZATION  OF 
EVERY  POSSIBLE  ARGUMENT  AGAINST  "THE  INSTITUTION."  "UNCLE 
TOM'S  CABIN  "  AS  A  WORK  OF  LITERARY  ART.  A  STORY  WITHOUT  A  LOVER. 
IS  IT  A  NOVEL? 80 

CHAPTER  V. 

TEMPORARY  PROSTRATION  OF  MRS.  STOWE  AFTER  THE  COMPLETION  OF 
"  UNCLE  TOM'S  CABIN."  HER  DESPAIR  OF  REACHING  THE  HEARTS  OF  THE 
PEOPLE.  HER  LETTERS  TO  PROMINENT  PERSONAGES  AT  HOME  AND 
ABROAD.  REPLIES  FROM  QUEEN  VICTORIA  AND  THE  ROYAL  CONSORT,  T. 
B.  MACAULEY,  CHARLES  KINGLEY,  THE  EARL  OF  SHAFTESBURY,  HON. 
ARTHUR  HELPS,  ARCHBISHOP  WHATELEY,  FREDERCA  BREMER,  MADAME 
GEORGE  SANDS,  WHITTIER,  GARRISON,  HENRY  WARD  BEECHER,  HARRIET 
MARTINEAU  AND  OTHERS.  THE  EFFECT  OF  "  UNCLE  TOM'S  CABIN  "  ON 
THE  SOUTH.  ENORMOUS  CIRCULATION  OF  THE  BOOK.  TRANSLATIONS 
INTO  MORE  THAN  TWENTY  LANGUAGES.  THE  COLLECTION  OF  EDITIONS 
AND  VERSIONS  IN  THE  BRITISH  MUSEUM  LIBRARY.  DESCRIPTIONS  OF 
CURIOUS  SPECIMENS  IN  THE  POSSESSION  OF  THE  AUTHOR  AT  HARTFORD, 
CONN.  INSTANCES  OF  ITS  EFFECTS  UPON  THE  MORAL  AND  RELIGIOUS 
OPINIONS  OF  THE  WORLD.  REV.  CHARLES  E.  STOWE' S  REPORT  OF  ITS 
AMERICAN  SALE  DURING  1887.  AN  ACCOUNT  GIVEN  BY  THE  EDITOR  OF 
THE  ATLANTIC  MONTHLY  OF  MRS.  STOWE'S  FIRST  ATTENDANCE  AT  THE 
THEATRICAL  REPRESENTATION  OF  "  UNCLE  TOM'S  CABIN." 103 

CHAPTER  VI. 

PROFESSOR  STOWE'S  ACCEPTANCE  OF  THE  CHAIR  OF  SACRED  LITERATURE  AT 
ANDOVER  THEOLOGICAL  SEMINARY.  THE  FAMILY  REMOVAL  TO  ANDOVKR 
IN  SEPTEMBER,  1852.  THE  AUTHOR  OF  "  UNCLE  TOM'S  CABIN  "  AS  A  PRAC 
TICAL  MANAGER  OF  DOMESTIC  AFFAIRS.  HER  EFFICIENCY  IN  HOUSE 
DECORATIONS  AND  MILLINERY.  THE  "  KEY  TO  UNCLE  TOM'S  CABIN." 
NINETY  THOUSAND  COPIES  SOLD  IN  THE  UNITED  STATES  IN  ONE  MONTH. 
MRS.  STOWE'S  PERSONAL  APPEARANCE  AS  GIVEN  BY  HERSELF,  AND  AN 
INTIMATE  ACQUAINTANCE.  MRS.  STOWE'S  EUROPEAN  TRIP.  HER  RECEP 
TION  AT  LIVERPOOL.  A  BREAKFAST  IN  HONOR  OF  THE  AMERICAN 
AUTHOR.  THE  CONGENIAL  ATMOSPHERE  OF  SOCIETY  IN  LIVERPOOL.  THE 
MEETING  GIVEN  BY  THE  LIVERPOOL  LADIES'  ANTI-SLAVERY  SOCIETY. 
PRESENTATION  OF  A  TESTIMONIAL  TO  MRS.  STOWE.  THE  JOURNEY  FROM 
LIVERPOOL  TO  GLASGOW.  DEMONSTRATIONS  OF  SCOTCH  PEOPLE  AT  EVERY 
STATION.  OVATIONS  AT  GLASGOW....  124 


CONTENTS.  Ill 

CHAPTER  VII. 

MRS.  STOWE  IN  SCOTLAND.  SAIL  DOWN  THE  CLYDE.  ENTHUSIASTIC  RECEP 
TION  FROM  THE  COMMON  PEOPLE.  RECEPTION  AT  EDINBURGH  BY  THE 
LORD  PROVOST,  MAGISTRACY  OF  THE  CITY,  AND  COMMITTEES  OF  ANTI- 
SLAVERY  SOCIETIES.  RECOGNIZED  BY  RIOTOUSLY  EXPRESSIVE  STREET 
BOYS.  THE  GREAT  EDINBURGH  MEETING,  AND  SCOTCH  PENNY  OFFERING 
IN  BEHALF  OF  THE  AMERICAN  SLAVES.  INSCRIPTION  UPON  THE  MASSIVE 
SALVER  WHICH  BORE  A  THOUSAND  GOLDEN  SOVEREIGNS.  FOSPITALITIES 
AT  ABERDEEN.  GREAT  PUBLIC  MEETING  AND  PRESENTATION  TO  THE 
AUTHOR  OF  "  UNCLE  TOM'S  CABIN.''  DUNDEE  OVATION,  AND  PRESENTA 
TION  OF  WORKS  OF  LOCAL  AUTHORS.  ANOTHER  SOIREE  AT  EDINBURGH, 
GIVEN  BY  WORKING  MEN.  VISIT  TO  ABBOTSFORD,  DRYBURGH  AND  MEL- 
ROSE  ABBEYS.  THE  CAUSE  OF  FREEDOM  AND  TEMPERANCE  ONE  IN 
SCOTLAND.  GREAT  TEMPERANCE  MEETINGS.  ARRIVAL  AT  LONDON. 
THE  LORD  MAYOR'S  DINNER.  DISTINGUISHED  GUESTS  WHO  UNITED  IN 
HONORS  TO  MRS.  STOWE.  DINNER  WITH  THE  EARL  OF  CARLISLE.  LON 
DON  GIN  PALACES 150 

CHAPTER  VIII. 

MR.  ARTHUR  HELPS  AT  LORD  CARLISLE'S  DINNER  PARTY.  MRS.  STOWE'S 
IMPRESSIONS  OF  THE  COMPANY.  MEETING  OF  THE  LONDON  BIBLE 
SOCIETY  AT  EXETER  HALL.  LORD  SHAFTESBURY  IN  THE  CHAIR. 
SIGHT-SEEING.  CELEBRATED  PEOPLE.  THE  GREAT  MEETING  AT  STAF 
FORD  HOUSE.  DESCRIPTION  OF  A  LUNCHEON  AT  THE  FINEST  PALACE  IN 
ENGLAND  THIRTY-FIVE  YEARS  AGO.  LORD  SHAFTESBURY'S  SPEECH  AND 
PRESENTATION  OF  "  THE  ADDRESS  OF  THE  WOMEN  OF  ENGLAND  TO  THE 
WOMEN  OF  AMERICA  ON  THE  SUBJECT  OF  SLAVERY."  A  GRAND  HIS 
TORIC  DOCUMENT.  THE  BRACELET  OF  MASSIVE  GOLD  GIVEN  BY  THE 
DUCHESS  OF  SUTHERLAND  TO  MRS.  STOWE.  THE  GREAT  ANTI-SLAVERY 
MEETING  AT  EXETER  HALL 174 

CHAPTER  IX. 

A  FAMILY  PARTY  AT  WINDSOR.  MISPLACED  SENTIMENTALISM.  PORTRAIT 
OF  MRS.  STOWE  BY  RICHMOND.  A  BROWN  SILK  DRESS  FOR  THE  AUTHOR 
OF  "UNCLE  TOM'S  CABIN,"  THE  OCCASION  OF  AGITATION  ALL  OVER  ENG 
LAND.  MRS.  STOWE  DINING  WITH  THE  DUKE  OF  ARGYLE.  A  SECOND 
MEETING  WITH  MR.  GLADSTONE.  MRS.  STOWE'S  RECOLLECTIONS  OF  HIM. 
A  RECENT  LETTER  FROM  HIM  TESTIFYING  TO  THE  FAVORABLE  IMPRESSIONS 
OF  THE  AUTHOR  OF  "UNCLE  TOM'S  CABIN"  RETAINED  BY  THE  GRAND 
OLD  MAN.  BREAKFAST  AT  RICHARD  COBDEN'S.  CONCERT  AT  STAFFORD- 
HOUSE.  THE  BLACK  SWAN.  FIRST  MEETING  WITH  LADY  BYRON.  PRE 
SENTATION  OF  A  MASSIVE  SILVER  INKSTAND  AND  GOLD  PEN  TO  MRS. 
STOWE.  WITH  MARIA  WESTON  CHAPMAN  IN  PARIS.  SOME  ART  CRITI 
CISMS.  THROUGH  SWITZERLAND.  MRS.  STOWE  ARRAIGNED  FOR  CRUELTY 
TO  AN  ANIMAL 195 


IV  CONTENTS. 

CHAPTER  X. 

RETURN  TO  PARIS.  ENTERTAINED  BY  MONSIEUR  AND  MADAME  DE  BELLOC. 
INTERVIEW  WITH  BERANGER.  MRS.  STOWE'S  ESTIMATE  OP  THE  FRENCH 
CHARACTER.  VISIT  TO  LADY  CARLISLE  AT  YORK.  THE  '•  LEEDS  OFFER 
ING."  A  DEPUTATION  FROM  IRELAND  PRESENT  THE  AUTHOR  OF  "  UNCLE 
TOM'S  CABIN"  WITH  A  BEAUTIFUL  CASKET  OF  BOG  OAK  FILLED  WITH 
SOVEREIGNS.  RETURN  HOME.  MRS.  STOWE'S  LETTERS  COLLECTED  AND 
PUBLISHED  IN  '  SUNNY  MEMORIES  OF  FOREIGN  LANDS."  "A  PEEP  INTO 
UNCLE  TOM'S  CABIN."  A  DRAMATIZATION  OF  "  UNCLE  TOM'S  CABIN" 
CALLED  "THE  CHRISTIAN  SLAVE."  REPUBLICATION  OF  "THE  MAY 
FLOWER."  ANOTHER  ANTI-SLAVERY  STORY.  "  DRED,"  NOT  A  SEQUEL, 
BUT  A  SUPPLEMENT  TO  "  UNCLE  TOM'S  CABIN."  ITS  AIM  TO  SHOW  THE 
EFFECTS  OF  THE  INSTITUTION  OF  SLAVERY  UPON  THE  WHITE  PEOPLE  OP 
THE  SOUTH.  ITS  SALE  ONLY  SECOND  TO  THAT  OF  HER  GREATEST 
WORK • 217 

CHAPTER  XI. 

MRS.  STOWE'S  SECOND  TRIP  TO  EUROPE.  THE  AUTHOR  OF  "  UNCLE  TOM'S 
CABIN  "  IN  HER  HOME  AT  ANDOVER.  SOME  DOGS  WHO  HAVE  APPEARED 
AS  CHARACTERS  IN  MRS.  STOWE'S  WRITINGS.  THE  DEATH  OF  HENRY 
STOWE  AT  DARTMOUTH.  THE  INFLUENCE  OF  THE  SAD  EVENT  UPON  MRS. 
STOWE'S  THEOLOGICAL  VIEWS.  JAMES  RUSSELL  LOWELL  AND  FRANCIS  H. 
UNDERWOOD  VISIT  MRS.  STOWE  AT  ANDOVER  IN  BEHALF  OF  THE  ATLANTIC 
MONTHLY.  ACCOUNT  OF  THE  BEGINNING  OF  THAT  MAGAZINE.  MRS. 
STOWE'S  ATTITUDE  TOWARDS  THE  MONTHLY.  "THE  MINISTER'S  WOO 
ING."  A  WONDERFUL  PIECE  OF  THEOLOGICAL  CRITICISM.  AS  WARMLY 
WELCOMED  AND  BITTERLY  ASSAILED  AS  HER  ANTI-SLAVERY  STORY.  THE 
INDIVIDUALS  WHO  STOOD  FOR  SOME  OF  THE  PROMINENT  CHARACTERS 240 

CHAPTER  XII. 

THE  MINISTER'S  WOOING,  CONTINUED.    DOCTOR  HOPKINS  AS  A  LOVER.    THE 

LOSS  OF  JAMES  MARVYN'S  SHIP.  A  MOTHER'S  INCONSOLABLE  GRIEF  FOR 
HER  UNREGENERATE  SON.  "VIEWS  OF  DIVINE  GOVERNMENT."  THE 
RELIGION  OF  OLD  BLACK  CANDACE.  COLONEL  AARON  BURR.  MADAME 
DE  FRONTIGNAC.  RETURN  OF  JAMES  MARVYN.  MISS  PRISSY'S  INTERVEN 
TION.  THE  EFFECT  OF  THE  STORY  UPON  EMINENT  THEOLOGIANS.  PRO 
FESSOR  PARK'S  CONVERSATIONS  WITH  THE  AUTHOR.  A  RECENT  TESTI 
MONIAL  OF  HIS  ADMIRATION  AND  ESTEEM  FOR  MRS.  STOWE.  THE  MINIS 
TER'S  WOOING  NOT  A  HISTORICAL  NOVEL  EXCEPT  IN  ITS  REPRESENTA- 
TIONS  OF  THE  METAPHYSICAL  EVENTS  BROUGHT  ABOUT  BY  THE  INFLU 
ENCE  OF  THE  THEOLOGY  OF  THE  PERIOD.  VARIOUS  HISTORICAL 
ANACHRONISMS.  ARCHBISHOP  WHATELY'S  ESTIMATE  OF  THE  LITERARY 
VALUE  OF  THE  WORK.  A  LETTER  FROM  GLADSTONE 270 


CONTENTS.  V 

CHAPTER  XIII. 

MBS.  STOWE  BECOMES  A  CONTRIBUTOR  TO  THE  INDEPENDENT.  THE  HOMI- 
LETIC  POWER  OF  THE  SISTER  OP  HENRY  WARD  BEECHER.  A  THIRD  TRIP 
TO  EUROPE.  LETTERS  FROM  ITALY.  HER  INTEREST  IN  FOREIGN  AFFAIRS 
OF  STATE.  RETURN  TO  AMERICA.  EARNEST  WORK  UPON  THE  POLITICAL 
CRISIS  OF  THE  UNITED  STATES.  A  NEW  NOVEL  IN  THE  ATLANTIC  MONTHLY. 
"  AGNES  OF  SORRENTO,"  LAID  IN  ITALY  AT  THE  TIME  OF  THE  RENAISSANCE. 
A  REVIEW  OF  THE  CONDITION  OF  RELIGION,  OF  TEMPORAL  GOVERNMENT 
AND  PERFECTION  IN  ART.  THE  REIGN  OF  THE  BORGIAS.  SCENES  IN  THE 
OKANGE  GROVES  OF  SORRENTO.  CONVENTUAL  EXISTENCE.  INFLUENCE 
OF  THE  PICTURESQUE  ROMAN  CATHOLIC  RELIGION  UPON  j  THE,  PEOPLE. 
JEROME  SAVANOROLA.  PADRE  FRANCESCO,  A  MONK  WHO  WAS  YET  A 
MAN  288 

CHAPTER  XIV. 

AGNES  AT  THE  CONVENT.  A  SELECTION  WHICH  SHOWS  THE  AUTHOR'SjFEEL- 
ING  AGAINST  THE  SENTENCE  OF  UNMITIGATED  DOOM  WHICH  ACCOMPANIED 
THE  GLAD  TIDINGS  OF  SALVATION.  HER  APPRECIATION^  SOME  OF  THE 
BEAUTIFUL  SENTIMENTS  OF  THE  EARLY  ROMAN  CATHOLIC  RELIGION. 
FATHER  ANTONIO,  THE  ARTIST  MONK.  SAN  MARCO.  SAVANOROLA'S  CON 
VICTION  THAT  THE  SONGS  OF  A  PEOPLE  HAVE  MORE  PERSUASIVE  POWER 
THAN  ITS  LAWS.  AGNES  AND  OLD  ELSIE  MAKE  A  PILGRIMAGE  TO  ROME. 
SARELLI'S  MOUNTAIN  REFUGE.  RECEIVED  BY  A  PRINCESS.  FALLING  INTO 
THE  JAWS  OF  THE  PAPAL  MONSTER.  RESCUED  BY  SARELLI.  ROMANTIC 
CONCLUSION.. 305 

CHAPTER  XV. 

"THE  PEARL  OF  ORR'S  ISLAND."  SCENE  AT  HARPSWELL,  MAINE,  AT  THE 
BEGINNING  OF  THE  PRESENT  CENTURY.  LIFE  UPON  THE  RUGGED  NEW 
ENGLAND  COAST.  FLOTSAM  AND  JETSAM.  EFFECT  OF  JEFFERSON'S 
EMBARGO  OF  1807.  THE  CHARACTER  OF  MR.  SEWELL  BASED  UPON  THE 
PERSONALITY  OF  JOHN  P.  BRACE.  MRS.  STCWE'S  IMPROVEMENT  IN 
LITERARY  STYLE.  MRS.  STOWE'S  "  REPLY  "  TO  THE  AFFECTIONATE  AND 

CHRISTIAN  ADDRESS  OF  THE  WOMEN  OF  ENGLAND  TO  THE  WOMEN  OF 
AMERICA.  DEATH  OF  DR.  LYMAN  BEECHER.  MRS.  STOWE'S  ACCOUNT  OF 
HIS  MENTAL  CONDITION.  DYING  AS  AN  OLD  TREE  DIES  AT  THE  TOP  FIRST. 
"  SOJOURNER  TRUTH— THE  LIBYAN  SIBYL."  STORY'S  STATUE,  MATERIAL 
IZED  FROM  MRS.  STOWE'S  DESCRIPTION  OF  THE  AFRICAN  PRIESTESS. 
"  HOUSE  AND  HOME  PAPERS." 319 

CHAPTER  XVI. 

SEVEN  ESSAYS,  CALLED  "  LITTLE  FOXES."  MRS.  STOWE'S  CONTINUED  CON 
NECTION  WITH  THE  ATLANTIC  MONTHLY.  "THE  CHIMNEY  CORNER" 
PAPERS— MRS.  STOWE'S  IDEAS  UPON  THE  WOMAN'S  RIGHTS  MOVEMENT. 


VI  CONTENTS. 

ARTICLES  OF  SPECIAL  INTEREST  TO  HER  SEX  UPON  TOPICS  RANGING  PROM 
SUFFRAGE  TO  HOME  DUTIES.  ACCOMPLISHMENT  OF  THE  EMANCIPATION^? 
AMERICAN  SLAVES.  MRS.  STOWE  TAKES  THE  BRACELET  OF  MASSIVE  GOLD 
LINKS  AND  HAS  IT  INSCRIBED  WITH  THE  DATES  OF  ABOLITION  IN  THE 
UNITED  STATES.  RENEWED  INTEREST  IN  "  UNCLE  TOM'S  CABIN."  MRS. 
STOWE  BESIEGED  BY  CELEBRITY  HUNTERS.  THE  WOMAN  AS  SHE  APPEARED 
TO  STRANGERS.  AN  EPISODE  AT  A  SUMMER  RESORT.  "OUR  YOUNG  FOLKS," 
ANEW  MAGAZINE  WITH  MRS.  STOWE  AS  ITS  MOST  FAMOUS  CONTRIBU 
TOR 347 

CHAPTER  XVII. 

MRS.  STOWE'S  FIRST  VISIT  TO  THE  SOUTH  IN  1865.  PURCHASE  OF  AN  ESTATE 
UPON  THE  ST.  JOHN'S  RIVER.  "MEN  OF  OUR  TIMES;  OR,  LEADING 
PATRIOTS  OF  THE  DAY."  EIGHTEEN  BIOGRAPHICAL  SKETCHES  OF  STATES 
MEN,  GENERALS  AND  ORATORS.  "RELIGIOUS  POEMS."  MRS.  STOWE 
APPEARS  A  CO-EDITOR  WITH  DONALD  G.  MITCHELL  (IK.  MARVEL)  OF 
HEARTH  AND  HOME.  MRS.  STOWE'S  THIRD  GREAT  WORK  APPEARS  IN 
1869.  "OLD  TOWN  FOLKS,"  LAID  IN  THE  LAST  CENTURY  IN  THE  TOWN  OF 
NATIC,  MASSACHUSETTS.  SAM  LAWSON  AND  OTHER  CHARACTERS  WHICH 
HAVE  BECOME  CLASSIC.  PROFESSOR  STOWE  FURNISHED  MUCH  MATERIAL 
FOR  THE  WORK,  AND  IS  DESCRIBED  AS  THE  HERO  OF  THE  STORY.  THE 
PECULIAR  EXPERIENCES  OF  "  THE  VISIONARY  BOY."  PROFESSOR  STOWE'S 
OWN  PSYCHOLOGICAL  PECULIARITY.  CORRESPONDENCE  WITH  GEORGE 
ELIOT  UPON  THE  SUBJECT  OF  SPIRITUALISM.  "  SAM  LAWSON'S  FIRESIDE 
STORIES." 367 

CHAPTER  XVIII. 

THE  LAST  GREAT  EVENT  OF  MRS.  STOWE'S  LITERARY  CAREER.  "  THE  TRUE 
STORY  OF  LADY  BYRON'S  LIFE."  AN  ARTICLE  WHICH  SHOCKED  THE 
WHOLE  READING  WORLD.  VOLUMINOUS  ABUSE  OF  MRS.  STOWE  BY  THE 
DEFENDERS  OF  LORD  BYRON  AND  THE  SERIOUS  DEPRECATION  OF  MANY 
FRIENDLY  REVIEWERS  IN  THE  UNITED  STATES  AS  WELL  AS  GREAT 
BRITAIN.  MRS.  STOWE'S  CHILDISH  IMPRESSIONS  OF  LORD  BYRON.  HER 
ACQUAINTANCE  WITH  LADY  BYRON  BEGUN  DURING  HER  FIRST  VISIT  TO 
ENGLAND.  LADY  BYRON'S  STORY  CONFIDED  TO  HER  IN  1856.  LADY 
BYRON'S  CONSULTATION  WITH  MRS.  STOWE.  DECISION  TO  REMAIN 
SILENT  DURING  LADY  BYRON'S  LIFE.  RE-OPENING  OF  THE  CONTROVERSY 
THIRTEEN  YEARS  AFTER,  BY  BLACKWOOD'S  MAGAZINE  IN  A  REVIEW  OF 

THE  GUICCIOLI  BOOK  OF  MEMOIRS.  THE  REVIEWER'S  ABUSE  OF  LADY 
BYRON.  THE  SPIRIT  OF  THE  ARTICLE  ECHOED  IN  AMERICA  AND  THE 
"MEMOIR'S"  OF  BYRON'S  MISTRESS  RE-PUBLISHED  IN  THE  UNITED 
STATES.  MRS.  STOWE'S  EXPECTATION  OF  A  VINDICATION  FROM  LADY 
BYRON'S  ENGLISH  FRIENDS.  HER  RELUCTANT  ASSUMPTION  OF  THE  DUTY. 

HER  CONSCIENTIOUSNESS  IN  THE  MATTER.  HER  REPULSIVE  DISCLOSURE 
WEIGHED  IN  THEBALANCE  AGAINST  LORD  BYRON'S  SEDUCTIVE  IMMORALI 
TIES....  384 


CONTENTS.  yii 

CHAPTER  XIX. ' 

"MY  WIFE  AND  I;  OB  HARRY  HENDERSON'S  HISTORY."  A'SERIAL  IN  "THE 
CHRISTIAN  UNION."  THE  STORY  OF  A  YANKEE  IfiOY,  WHO  GOES  TO  COL 
LEGE,  ADOPTS  LITERATURE  AS  A  PROFESSION  IN  NEW  YORK;  THE.FRAME- 
WORK  UPON  WHICH  TO  HANG  MANY  INTERESTING  DISCUSSIONS.  "PINK 
AND  WHITE  TYRANNY."  A  SOCIETY  NOVEL  WITH  AN  ADMITTED  MORAL. 
"PALMETTO  LEAVES."  PICTURESQUE  AND  SUGGESTIVEj LETTERS  FROM 
FLORIDA.  "POGANUC  PEOPLE."  THE  LAST  IMPORTANT  WORK  OF  THE 
AUTHOR  OF  "  UNCLE  TOM'S  CABIN."  AGAIN  THE  LOVES  AND  LIVES  OF 
PLAIN  NEW  ENGLAND  FOLK.  MUCH  OF  THIS  STORY  AUTOBIOGRAPHICAL. 
AN  INSTRUCTIVE  ACCOUNT  OF  THE  RELIGION  ESTABLISHED  BY  LAW  IN 
NEW  ENGLAND.  MRS.  STOWE'S  CHILDISH  RELIGIOUS  EXPERIENCES.  THE 
CONVERSION  OF  ZEPH  HIGGINS  AT  THE  SCHOOL  HOUSE  MEETING.  ONE  OF 
THE  MOST  INTENSELY  POWERFUL  AND  DRAMATIC  SCENES  EVER- 
DEPICTED.  THE  CELEBRATION  OF  THE  SEVENTIETH  BIRTHDAY  OF  HAR 
RIET  BEECHER  STOWE.  A  GARDEN  PARTY  AT  THE  HOME  OF  HON.  AND 
MRS.  WILLIAM  CLAFFIN  AT  NEWTONVILLE,  NEAR  BOSTON 404 


ILLUSTRATIONS. 


PAGE 

1.  STEEL  PORTRAIT.    H.  B.  STOWE  AT  41  YEARS  OF  AGE. 

Frontispiece. 

2.  Foe-Simile.    MRS.  STOWE'S  LETTER  OF  DEC.  11,  1887.        .          3 

3.  BOWDOIN  COLLEGE,  BRUNSWICK,  ME 60 

4.  THE    HOUSE    IN    WHICH    "UNCLE    TOM'S    CABIN"    WAS 

WRITTEN,  BRUNSWICK,  ME. 106 

5.  Fac-Simile.    MRS.  STOWE'S  INSCRIPTION  OF  OCT.  29,  1887.      224 

6.  HOUSE  BUILT  BY  HARRIET  BEECHER  STOWE,  AT  HARTFORD, 

CONN.,  IN  1864 338 

7.  HARRIET  BEECHER  STOWE  AT  WORK.         ....      362 

8.  HARRIET    BEECHER    STOWE    AS    THE    AUTHOR   OF  "OLD 

TOWN  FOLKS." 373 

9.  HOME  OF  HARRIET  BEECHER  STOWE,  ON  FOREST  STREET, 

HARTFORD,  CONN 404 

10.  THE  WINTER  HOME,  AT  MANDARIN,  FLA.       ...          416 

11.  HARRIET  BEECHER  STOWE  IN  HER  OLD  AGE.  438 


j^_^Si^ 


/h~£,, 


THE  AUTHOR'S  ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS. 

THE  authenticity  of  facts  given  in  a  work  of  this  kind 
is  of  paramount  importance.  The  writer  having  received 
assistance  which  it  would  be  ingratitude,  not  to  say  pre 
sumption,  to  leave  unacknowledged,  wishes  to  return  thanks 
to  the  numerous  persons  who  have  kindly  aided  her  in  her 
work,  and,  first  of  all,  to  refer  with  special  tenderness  to  the 
friendship  which  the  great  author  accorded  to  a  young 
friend,  and  the  cordial  assistance  given  by  her  and  her  im 
mediate  family,  to  this  history. 

Having  for  several  years  cherished  the  friendship  of  Mrs. 
Stowe  as  one  of  the  precious  things  in  life,  having  been  a 
frequent  visitor  at  her  house  and  a  welcome  companion  in 
her  walks,  and  one  of  the  last  acquaintances  whom  the 
famous  woman  recognized  in  the  coming  shadow  of  the 
clouded  mentality  which  so  sadly  obscured  her  last  days, 
the  subscriber  has  been  frequently  called  upon  to  write  of 
the  author  of  Uncle  Tom's  Cabin,  which  she  several  times 
has  done,  though  never  without  the  knowledge  and  consent 
of  Mrs.  Stowe  and  her  family. 

When,  about  one  year  ago,  the  publishers  of  this  work, 
made  a  proposition  for  a  history,  of  The  Life  Work  of  the 
Author  of  TJncle  Tom's  Cabin,  the  writer,  though  strongly 
inclining  towards  such  an  effort  had  no  thought  of  under 
taking  it,  without  the  full  knowledge  and  consent  of  those 
most  nearly  interested.  There  were  several  cogent  reasons 
for  this  proviso,  chief  among  them  being  a  sense  of  honor, 

5 


6  THE  AUTHOR'S  ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS. 

which  must  prevent  any  breach  of  the  hospitality  and  con 
fidence  accorded  to  a  personal  acquaintance.  Therefore  the 
writer  called  upon  Mrs.  Stowe  at  her  home,  told  her  of 
the  proposition  and  asked  if  it  would  be  agreeable  to  her  to 
have  the  work  done.  She  replied,  "  Certainly,  my  dear 
friend.  You  are  quite  the  one  for  it.  If  a  history  of  my 
life  work  will  interest  or  benefit  any  one,  I  shall  be  glad." 

A  few  hours  later  her  maid  brought  to  the  writer  the 
note  which  here  appears. 

.  Kealizing,  however,  that  her  son,  Eev.  Charles  E.  Stowe. 
who  was  also  a  personal  friend,  would  naturally  be  her  legal 
and  literary  executor,  and  that  he  might  possibly  demur  at 
his  mother's  authorization,  as  she  was  at  that  time  rapidly 
becoming  weakened  in  her  mind,  the  writer  sent  to  him  a 
long  letter,  giving  a  full  account  of  the  proposed  work,  her 
feeling  of  restriction  as  a  friend  to  whom  many  facts  had 
been  given  without  reference  to  such  a  work  as  this,  at  the 
same  time  citing  some  ideas  of  her  publishers  and  Eev.  Dr. 
J.  M.  Sherwood  their  well  known  literary  critic  of  whom 
she  had  asked  advice.  In  reply  came  the  following  letter 
which  sufficiently  indicates  the  import  of  the  one  to  which 
it  replies,  as  well  as  previous  confidential  conversations 
upon  Mr.  Stowe's  own  projects  for  the  future. 

HARTFORD,  DEC.  12,  1887. 
MRS.  FLORINE  THAYER  McCRAY  : 

Dear  Madam : — I  appreciate  highly  the  delicacy  of  feeling 
which  you  have  displayed  in  the  matter  of  the  work  which  you 
are  contemplating  ;  yet  at  the  same  time  I  am  of  Dr.  Sherwood's 
mind  in  the  matter. 

In  the  first  place  even  if  I  did  object  you  would  have  a  perfect 
right  to  go  on,  as  it  is  public  property. 


THE  AUTHOR'S  ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS.  7 

In  the  second  place,  your  work  will  be  of  direct  advantage  to 
me  pecuniarily,  by  acting  as  an  advertisement,  it  will  increase  the 
sale  of  her  works  and  stimulate  public  interest  in  her  and  her 
writings. 

The  work  which  I  am  doing,  will  be  likely  to  be  all  the  better 
received  for  the  work  which  you  are  about  to  publish. 

So  I  say  go  on  with  it,  and  I  will  do  all  I  can  to  assist  you. 
Very  sincerely  yours, 

C.  E.  STOWE. 

In  confirmation  of  this  consent  and  promise,  Mr.  Stowe 
at  various  times  afforded  considerable  assistance,  cour 
teously  loaning  an  artist's  proof  engraving  from  the  famous 
portrait  made  by  Bichmond,  in  London  in  1853,  for  the 
purpose  of  its  reproduction  in  this  volume,  and  spending  a 
long  afternoon  with  the  writer  at  the  Safety  Vaults  wherein 
are  stored  the  magnificent  pieces  of  silver  plate,  which 
were  given  as  testimonials  to  the  author  of  Uncle  Tom's 
Cabin,  on  the  occasion  of  her  first  visit  to  Europe.  To  him 
we  are  further  indebted  for  conversations  upon  the  religious 
and  psychological  experiences  of  his  father  and  mother. 

To  the  Misses  Stowe,  we  are  under  obligations  for  infor 
mation  not  otherwise  to  be  obtained,  and  views  of  souvenirs 
•of  their  mother's  wonderful  career. 

To  Mrs.  Isabella  Beecher  Hooker,  Mrs.  Stowe's  youngest 
sister,  for  descriptions  of  her  famous  sister's  personal  appear 
ance,  and  numerous  important  actions  from  the  time  before 
Mrs.  Stowe's  marriage,  to  the  last,  when  she  remained  her 
devoted  and  trusted  companion. 

To  Mrs.  Mary  F.  Perkins  of  Boston,  Mrs.  Stowe's  older 
sister,  for  reminiscences  of  Harriet's  childhood. 

To   Dr.  Edward  Beecher  of  Brooklyn,  and  his   wife,  for 


8  THE  AUTHOR'S  ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS. 

conversation  upon  her  school  days  and  her  subsequent  deal 
ings  with  domestic,  religious  and  literary  problems  in  life. 
To  Eev.  Joseph  II.  Twichell,  of  Hartford,  Dr.  Edwards 
A.  Park,  of  Andover  Theological  Seminary,  Francis  II. 
Underwood,  founder  of  the  "Atlantic  Monthly,"  and  to 
many  other  sources,  the  author  makes  acknowledgements 
for  valuable  information,  affording  much  interesting  matter 
both  personal  and  historical. 


PREFACE. 

THE  design  of  this  work  is  not  to  trench,  upon  the 
ground  of  strict  biography.  In  treating  of  THE  LIFE- 
WOKK  OF  THE  AUTHOR  OF  UNCLE  TOM'S 
CABIN",  the  writer  has  undertaken  a  labor  of  love  which 
finds  its  excuse  in  the  desire  to  present  to  the  young  peo 
ple  of  the  age,  and  particularly  the  young  women  of 
America,  a  list  of  the  literary  works  of  Harriet  Beecher 
Stowe,  with  an  outline  of  each,  and  an  unpretentious  run 
ning  commentary,  such  as  is  naturally  suggested  in  their 
reading. 

The  main  facts  of  Mrs.  Stowe's  life  are  given,  with  such 
reference  to  her  personal  experience  as  seems  to  explain 
the  motives,  the  conception,  and  the  prosecution  of  the 
great  works,  which  have  made  her  our  most  famous 
author. 

To  these,  are  added  personal  reminiscences,  in  which  the 
writer  claims  not  only  the  ownership  which  all  admirers 
have  in  the  authentic  reports  of  the  personality  of  a  well 
loved  author,  but  also  the  special  right  accorded  to  a  wit 
ness  and  a  friend. 

What  under  other  circumstances,  might  seem  to  be 
catering  to  idle  curiosity,  is  sanctioned  and  dignified  by 
the  feeling  of  human  sympathy  it  engenders,  between  the 
great  author  and  her  vast  army  of  readers,  and  the  possi 
bilities  it  opens  to  others,  who  are,  as  they  suppose,  ham- 

9 


10  PREFACE. 

pered  by  physical  conditions  and  the  demands  of  domestic 
life. 

The  achievements  of  Mrs.  Stowe  are  an  example  of  the 
power  of  genius  and  will,  to  overcome  obstacles  which, 
doubtless  in  many  cases  have  deprived  the  world  of  bene 
ficial  ideas. 

If  this  history  of  THE  LIFE-WORK  OF  THE 
AUTHOR  OF  UNCLE  TOM'S  CABIN  incites  fresh 
interest  in  her  reader  and  yields  a  tithe  of  the  profit  and 
deep  satisfaction  experienced  by  the  writer  in  its  prepara 
tion,  it  will  have  amply  demonstrated  its  right  to  be. 

While  the  natural  bias  is  always  in  favor  of  a  dear 
friend  and  venerated  author,  the  writer  has  tried  not  to 
ignore  the  limitations  which  are  inevitable  to  human 
nature.  It  is  hoped  that  all  references  to  the  personal 
peculiarities  which  eminently  characterized  the  subject  of 
this  work,  making  her  original  and  interesting  above  all 
the  persons  that  the  writer  has  ever  known,  will  be  received 
in  the  spirit  in  which  they  are  set  forth.  To  her,  they 
appear  infinitely  engaging,  and,  mingled  as  they  were,  with 
the  ineffable  sweetness  and  fine  humor,  which  deepened  in 
Mrs.  Stowe's  later  years,  most  tenderly  appeal  to  the  affec 
tionate  memory  cherished  by 

FLORINE  THAYER  McCRAY. 

HARTFORD,  CONN.,  July,  1889. 


CHAPTER  I. 

HARRIET  BEECHER  STOWE  AS  A  CHILD.  THE  INFLUENCES  OF 
HEREDITY  AND  ENVIRONMENT.  HER  ANCESTRY  AND  DI 
RECT  INTELLECTUAL  INHERITANCE.  THE  BRACING  ATMOS 
PHERE  OF  HER  HOME  AND  SCHOOL  LIFE.  EARLY  RELIG 
IOUS  IMPRESSIONS.  HER  FIRST  COMPOSITION  AT  THE  AGE 
OF  NINE,  WRITTEN  UPON  "  THE  DIFFERENCE  BETWEEN  THE 
NATURAL  AND  THE  MORAL  SUBLIME."  DISTINGUISHED 
PEOPLE  WHO  GAVE  A  HIGH  SOCIAL  STATUS  TO  LITCHFIELD 
DURING  HARRIET  BEECHER'S  YOUTH.  LITERARY  AND 
POLITICAL  DISCUSSIONS. 

HARRIET  BEECHER  STOWE  was  born  at  Litchfield,  Con 
necticut,  June  14th,  1812.  She  was  the  seventh  child  of 
Dr.  Lyman  Beecher,  who  with  his  eleven  sons  and  daugh 
ters  who  grew  to  maturity,  comprised  a  family  which  is 
perhaps  more  widely  and  favorably  known  than  any  other 
in  the  United  States.  The  father  and  seven  sons  were  cler 
gymen,  and  three  of  the  four  daughters,  have  made  them 
selves  powerful  factors  in  the  progress  of  civilization  as 
authors  and  reformers.  "With  the  shades  of  difference 
which  always  obtain  between  individual  characters,  they 
bore  a  striking  resemblance  to  each  other,  not  only  physi 
cally,  but  intellectually  and  morally.  The  father  was  per 
haps  a  trifle  below  average  size,  and  some  of  the  sons  a  little 
above  it,  neither  stout  nor  slight,  but  compactly  and 
ruggedly  built,  with  a  certain  abruptness  and  want  of  grace, 

11 


12  THE   LIFE   WORK   OF   THE   AUTHOR   OF 

common  to  New  Englanders  of  the  past  generation..  Their 
features  were  large  and  irregular,  but  with  a  strength  of 
bearing,  which  made  the  men  almost  handsome,  while  the 
faces  of  the  daughters,  all  but  one  of  whom  were  plain, 
were  illumined  by  an  expression  of  bright  intelligence,  and 
wit  which  sparkled  in  the  bluish  grey  eyes. 

All  of  them  had  the  energy  of  character,  restless  activ 
ity,  strong  convictions,  tenacity  of  purpose,  and  deep  sym 
pathies  which  are  requisite  to  the  character  of  such  propo- 
gandists.  The  father  and  sons  were  ever  in  the  thickest 
of  the  religious  battles  of  their  time,  always  however, 
dealing  with  questions  which  were  full  of  vitality,  rather 
than  dwelling  upon  metaphysical  abstractions  which  were 
so  anxiously  considered  by  most  members  of  the  Presby 
terian  church  to  which  they  belonged.  Temperance,  for 
eign  and  home  missions,  the  influence  of  commerce  on  pub 
lic  morality,  the  conversion  of  young  men,  the  establish 
ment  of  theological  seminaries,  colonization,  abolition,  and 
the  political  obligations  of  Christians,  engaged  their  energies. 

In  order  to  understand  and  appreciate  the  springs  of  ac 
tion  in  the  life-work  of  great  men  and  women,  one  must 
not  overlook  their  inherited  characteristics,  for  "character 
is  destiny,"  or  their  social  and  intellectual  education,  for 
these  influences  are  so  potential  as  to  have  received  recog 
nition  in  the  social  scientists'  terms, — heredity  and  environ 
ment.  The  father  of  this  family,  so  remarkable  in  their 
personality  and  achievements,  so  distinctly  individual  in 
their  nature  and  utterances  as  to  be  generally  known  as  a 
"  tribe,"  and  to  call  forth  the  celebrated  saying  attributed 
to  Dr.  Leonard  Bacon,  of  New  Haven,  an  eminent  New 
England  divine  and  literary  critic,  that  there  were  "  only 


UNCLE    TOM'S   CABIN.  13 

three  kinds  of  people  in  the  world ;  the  good,  the  bad  and 
the  Beechers" — was  a  descendant  of  an  English  family  who 
came  to  America  sixteen  years  after  the  landing  of  the 
Pilgrims  of  the  Mayflower.  He  was  the  son  of  a  New- 
England  blacksmith,  who  was  one  of  the  best  read  men  in 
the  country,  being  particularly  well  versed  in  astronomy, 
geography  and  history.  Lyman  Beecher  was  taught  the 
trade  of  his  father,  and  like  a  couple  of  intellectual  Titans, 
they  discussed  science  and  theology  to  the  deep  blowings 
of  the  forge  and  the  beat  of  their  clanking  hammers.  The 
son  received  a  solid  education  and  graduated  at  Yale  col 
lege  at  the  age  of  twenty- two. 

Having  passed  through  a  profound  religious  experience 
he  made  choice  of  the  Christian  ministry,  as  his  profession, 
and  with  three  classmates  entered  .the  Divinity  School  at 
New  Haven  under  Dr.  Dwight.  From  this  he  graduated 
with  honor,  and  at  once  assumed  charge  of  the  Presby 
terian  church  at  East  Hampton,  Long  Island.  He  had 
found  time  however,  during  his  vacations  at  Old  Guilford, 
to  fall  in  love  with  sweet  Eoxana  Foote,  the  daughter  of 
Eli  Foote,  of  Nutplains,  a  genial  and  cultivated  man  who, 
though  a  royalist  and  a  churchman,  was  universally  re 
spected  and  honored  in  a  puritan  and  revolutionary  com 
munity.  She  was  the  queen  of  a  coterie  of  young  girls  at 
Nutplains  who  used  to  sing  hymns,  spin,  read  Sir  Charles 
Grandison  and  Miss  Burney's  "  Evelina,"  talk  about  beaux 
and  have  merry  times  together,  bewitching  the  hearts  of 
the  many  bashful  swains  who  respectfully  gathered  about 
them.  Young  Lyman  Beecher  went  into  love  as  into 
everything  else,  at  full  speed,  and  with  resistless  enthusi 
asm,  and  soon  became  engaged  to  marry  Miss  Foote.  Dur- 


14  THE   LIFE   WORK   OF   THE   AUTHOR   OF 

ing  the  two  years  previous  to  their  wedding  he  studied 
hard,  observed  intelligently,  and  formed  those  habits  of 
original  thought  which  characterized  his  work  in  after 
life  and  were  transmitted  to  his  children. 

When  Harriet  was  born,  her  father,  then  pastor  of  the 
First  Congregational  Society  at  Litchfield,  Connecticut, 
was  thirty-six  years  of  age,  in  the  full  vigor  of  his  early 
manhood,  a  man  of  fine  physique,  great  power  of  mind,  of 
indomitable  force,  high  ambition,  and  electric  eloquence. 
He  was  withal,  genial  in  his  manners,  possessing  a  healthy 
appreciation  of  the  humorous,  arid  pre-eminently  endowed 
with  that  faculty  of  philosophical  deduction  from  experi 
ence,  which  we  call  common  sense. 

There  were  already  five  brothers  and  sisters  in  the  parson 
age  at  Litchfield,  who  filled  the  house  full  of  noise,  and  their 
parents  hearts  with  pleasant  trials.  There  was  Catherine 
who  was  in  her  twelfth  year,  already  developing  a  powerful 
intellect  and  a  high-strung  ambition,  which  made  her  the 
favorite  companion  of  her  father,  and  filled  her  mother's  heart 
with  mingled  pride  and  solicitude;  William  a  sturdy  lad  of 
nine;  Edward  a  curly  haired  fellow  two  years  younger,  full 
of  boisterous  fun,  and  constantly  in  chase  of  adventures  at 
home  and  afield  ;  Mary  a  child  of  three  ;  and  George  who 
had  to  be  weaned  to  make  way  for  the  new-comer.  There 
had  been  an  infant  two  years  before,  a  girl  named  Harriet, 
whose  death  in  the  first  few  weeks  of  existence  is  touch- 
ingly  referred  to  as  the  first  bereavement  of  the  parents 
and  the  affectionate  sister  and  brother,  who  were  old  enough 
to  mourn  the  speedy  taking  off  of  the  little  one.  When 
another  baby  girl  opened  its  eyes  to  the  light  that  mid- June 
day  in  1812,  it  was  named  for  the  one  who  was  lost,  and 


UNCLE    TOM'S   CABIN.  15 

soon  became  the  object  of  the  tender  affection  of  the  adult 
family,  and  the  victim  of  the  enthusiastic  caresses  of  the 
lusty  boys,  who  had  already  begun  to  assist  their  father 
about  the  house  and  barn,  and  to  share  his  angling  and 
hunting  excursions,  and  his  tramps  through  the  woods. 

Harriet,  however,  was  quickly  deprived  of  her  royal  pre 
rogative  as  baby  queen  of  the  household,  by  the  advent  in 
a  year,  of  a  brother,  who  was  named  Henry  Ward  Beecher- 
and  the  last  of  the  nine  children  who  had  come  in  quick 
succession  to  the  arms  of  gentle  Eoxana  Foote  was  Charles, 
who  was  an  infant  when  she  died  Sept.  27,  1816.  She  was 
physically  worn  out ;  but  it  is  the  testimony  of  her  chil 
dren  that  she  never  lost  the  beautiful  calmness  and  sweet 
serenity  of  manner,  with  which  she  moved  on  through  the 
crowding  duties  of  an  arduous  life.  They  pressed  heavily 
upon  her,  not  only  as  the  wife  of  a  young  clergyman  with 
straitened  means  and  as  the  mother  of  eight  living  children, 
but  also  as  a  teacher,  having  with  the  assistance  of  her 
younger  sister,  Mary  Hubbard,  carried  on  a  school,  in 
which  she  taught  the  higher  English  branches,  besides 
French,  drawing,  painting  and  embroidery,  in  which  her 
own  children  received  instruction  with  several  young  ladies, 
who  were  members  of  the  large  family  circle. 

The  mother  of  the  celebrated  "Beecher  family"  was  a- 
woman  of  rare  virtues,  cultivated,  highly  educated  and 
accomplished,  and  an  artist  of  no  mean  ability.  She  took 
up  the  work  of  life  with  unshrinking  devotion  and  was  in 
deed  a  help  meet  to  her  husband,  visiting,  riding,  walking,, 
reading  and  talking  with  him,  stimulating  him  to  his  mar-- 
velously  productive  work,  and  acting  as  anchor  and  bal 
ance  to  his  less  well-poised  temper,  which  sometimes  ap~ 


16  THE   LIFE   WORK   OF   THE   AUTHOR   OF 

peared  in  erratic  performances,  of  which  many  amusing 
stories  are  told. 

The  disciples  of  Froebel  maintain  that  the  influences 
upon  human  character  which  are  most  lasting,  are  those 
which  are  brought  to  bear  upon  the  mind  of  children  be 
fore  they  are  six  years  of  age.  Little  Harriet  Beecher  took 
in  refinement  and  culture  with  her  mother's  rnilk  and,  in 
the  atmosphere  of  her  infantile  home  life,  breathed  strength 
and  purity  of  thought,  and  daily  opened  her  baby  eyes 
upon  objects  and  scenes  which  contributed  to  a  wide  cul 
ture,  seldom  to  be  obtained  in  New  England  at  that  time. 
Dr.  Oliver  "Wendell  Holmes,  being  asked  when  the  train 
ing  of  a  child  should  begin,  replied  "A  hundred  years  before 
it  is  born."  The  same  cultivated  American  is  modestly 
boastful  of  the  fact, that  he  as  a  child  built  houses  of  quarto 
volumes,  of  a  rarity  and  literary  value  quite  out  of  the  reach 
of  persons  of  less  culture  and  means  than  his  grandfather. 

There  were  no  children's  books  for  the  young  Beechers, 
no  pictures  adapted  to  an  infant's  comprehension,  none  of 
the  modern  dilution  of  things  worth  knowing,  to  fit  them 
for  immature  intellects.  The  younger  children  studied 
what  they  must,  listened  receptively  to  the  conversation  of 
their  elders,  and  imbibed  strength  and  force  of  character  in 
the  very  atmosphere  of  home. 

An  important  element  in  the  literary  and  domestic  his 
tory  of  the  Beecher  family,  was  found  in  the  society  of 
their  aunt,  Mary  Hubbard,  and  an  uncle,  Samuel  Foote. 
Mrs.  Beecher's  tastes  were  rather  for  subjects  of  a  scientific 
and  metaphysical  cast,  while  Mary  Hubbard,  the  charming 
young  widow,  whose  fascinations  drew  a  throng  of  law  stu 
dents  and  young  professional  men  about  her,  inclined  pre- 


UNCLE   TOM'S  CABIN.  17 

dommaiitly  to  polite  literature  and  works  of  the  imagina 
tion.  She  was  a  delightful  reader,  and  the  older  children 
have  a  most  vivid  recollection  of  the  impassioned  tones  in 
which  her  favorite  authors  were  given  to  the  family  circle. 
Uncle  Samuel  Foote  was  a  sea  captain,  a  man  of  great  prac 
tical  common  sense,  united  with  large  ideality,  cultivated 
taste  and  wide  reading.  On  his  return  from  each  voyage, 
he  came  to  the  home  at  Litchfield,  each  time  making  his  ad 
vent  as  a  sort  of  brilliant  genius  from  another  sphere,  bring 
ing  gifts,  and  tales  of  wonders,  and  descriptions  of  far  coun 
tries,  which  seemed  to  wake  new  faculties  in  them  all. 
Sometimes  he  came  from  the  shores  of  Spain,  with  memen 
toes  from  the  Alhambra  and  the  ancient  Moors ;  sometimes 
from  Africa  bringing  Oriental  head -gear  or  Moorish  slip 
pers  ;  again  from  South  America,  with  ingots  of  silver,  or 
strange  implements  from  the  tombs  of  the  Incas,  or  ham 
mocks  wrought  by  the  South  American  Indians. 

Moreover,  Uncle  Samuel  Foote  possessed  a  species  of 
good  humored  combativeness,  that  led  him  to  attack,  some 
times  jocosely  and  often  in  earnest,  the  special  theories  and 
prej  udices  of  his  friends.  As  a  result  he  and  Dr.  Lyman 
Beecher  were  in  continual  skirmishes,  in  which  all  the 
New  England  peculiarities  of  character,  and  especially  their 
trend  of  theological  thought,  were  held  up  in  caricature,  or 
for  serious  discussion.  There  were  long  arguments,  to 
which  the  children  listened  absorbedly,  in  which  he  main 
tained  that  the  Turks  were  more  honest  than  Christians, 
bringing  very  startling  facts  in  evidence.  They  heard  his 
tales  of  the  Eoman  Catholic  bishops  and  archbishops  which 
he  had  carried  to  and  from  Spain  and  America,  whom  he 
affirmed  to  be  as  truly  learned  and  pious  and  deyoted  to 
2 


18  THE   LIFE    WOKK   OF    THE   AUTHOR   OF 

the  good  of  men,  as  any  Protestant  to  be  found  in  America. 
His  account  of  the  Jews  in  Morocco  was  most  curious ; 
their  condition  appearing,  even  to  his  skeptical  mind,  the 
strongest  verification  of  Hebrew  prophecy.  The  new  fields 
of  vision  which,  he  presented,  the  skill  and  marvelous 
adroitness  of  his  arguments,  and  the  array  of  facts  which 
he  brought  to  bear  upon  these  topics,  taxed  to  the  utmost 
the  intellectual  powers  of  Lyrnan  Beecher,  and  the  brilliant 
conversations  made  an  impression  never  to  be  effaced,  upon 
the  plastic  minds  of  the  young  people  who  listened. 

In  the  literary  circles  of  Litchfield,  and  especially  among 
women  of  culture,  Captain  Foote  appeared  in  the  most 
heroic  and  romantic  light.  He  spoke  the  polite  languages 
with  ease,  arid  had  a  fair  knowledge  of  the  various  dialects 
in  the  foreign  countries  he  had  visited.  Best  of  all,  he  al 
ways  brought  a  stock  of  new  books  when  he  came  to  Litch 
field,  which  he  and  Aunt  Mary  Hubbard  read  aloud.  This 
was  the  time  when  Scott,  Byron,  Moore,  and  that  bright 
galaxy  of  contemporary  writers,  were  issuing  their  works 
at  frequent  intervals,  and  the  childrens'  minds  were  stored 
with  the  wierd  tales  from  Scott's  Ballads.  The  Lay  of  the 
Last  Minstrel  and  Marmion  became  household  lore,  The 
Cotter's  Saturday  Night,  and  the  touching  verses  of  the 
Ayrshire  ploughman  who  had  burst  into  song,  as  well  as 
the  heroic  poems  and  rhythmical  complaints  of  Byron, 
shared  a  place  with  Mother  Goose,  in  the  affections  of  that 
group  of  receptive  boys  and  girls. 

Harriet  was  between  three  and  four  years  old  when  her 
mother  died.  The  few  remembrances  that  Mrs.  Stowe  had 
of  her  are  most  pathetic.  Her  last  look  at  the  cold  body;, 
the  funeral,  which  Henry  was  too  young  to  attend,  remain- 


UNCLE   TOM'S  CABIN.  39 

ing  at  home  frolicing  in  the  sun ;  his  ignorant  joy  with  his 
toys,  and  the  halo  of  golden  curls  ill  according  with  bis 
little  black  frock  ;  the  scene  at  the  grave,  and  the  childish 
failure  to  understand  that  her  mother  was  in  Heaven,  while 
yet  she  saw  her  body  laid  in  the  ground,  have  been  fre 
quently  recalled  in  conversation  with  her  friends. 

Mrs.  Stowe  told  how  Henry  was  discovered  one  day  not 
long  after  her  mothers'  funeral,  digging  earnestly  under  sis 
ter  Catharine's  window,  and  when  she  called  to  him  to 
know  what  he  was  doing,  he  lifted  his  curly  head  with  the 
utmost  simplicity  and  answered,  "  Why,  I  am  going  to 
Heaven  to  find  Ma." 

Among  the  vivid  reminiscences  of  Harriet's  early  child 
hood  were  her  visits  to  her  grandm other  Foote  at  Nutplains. 
She  wrote : 

"  I  think,  in  the  recollections  of  all  the  children,  our  hours 
spent  at  Nutplains  were  the  golden  hours  of  our  life.  Aunt  Har 
riet  had  precisely  the  turn  which  made  her  treasure  every  scrap 
of  a  family  relic  and  history.  And  even  those  of  the  family  who 
had  passed  away  forever  seemed  still  to  be  living  at  Nutplains,  so 
did  she  cherish  every  memorial,  and  recall  every  action  and  word. 
There  was  Aunt  Catharine's  embroidery ;  there  Aunt  Mary's 
paintings  and  letters ;  there  the  things  which  Uncle  Samuel  had 
brought  from  foreign  shores  ;  frankincense  from  Spain,  mats  and 
baskets  from  Mogadore,  and  various  other  trophies  locked  in 
drawers,  which  Aunt  Harriet  displayed  to  us  on  every  visit. 

"  At  Nutplains  our  mother,  lost  to  us,  seemed  to  live  again. 
We  saw  her  paintings,  her  needle-work,  and  heard  a  thousand  lit 
tle  sayings  and  doings  of  her  daily  life.  And  so  dear  was  every 
thing  that  belonged  to  grandmother  and  our  Nutplains  home,  that 
the  Episcopal  service,  even  though  not  well  read,  was  always 


20  THE  LIFE   WOKK   OF   THE   AUTHOR   OF 

chosen  during  our  visits  there  in  preference  to  our  own.  It 
seemed  a  part  of  Nutplains  and  of  the  life  there. 

"  There  was  also  an  interesting  and  well-selected  library,  and  a 
portfolio  of  fine  engravings ;  and,  though  the  place  was  lonely, 
yet  the  cheerful  hospitality  that  reigned  there  left  them  scarcely 
ever  without  agreeable  visitors ;  and  some  of  the  most  charming 
recollections  of  my  childhood  are  of  a  beautiful  young  lady,  who 
used  to  play  at  chess  with  Uncle  George  when  he  returned  from 
his  work  in  the  wood-lot  of  a  winter  evening. 

"  The  earliest  poetry  that  I  ever  heard  were  the  ballads  of 
Walter  Scott,  which  Uncle  George  repeated  to  Cousin  Mary  and 
me  the  first  winter  that  I  was  there.  The  story  of  the  black  and 
white  huntsman  made  an  impression  on  me  that  I  shall  never  for 
get.  His  mind  was  so  steeped  in  poetical  literature  that  he  could 
at  any  time  complete  any  passage  in  Burns  or  Scott  from  memory. 
As  for  graver  reading,  there  was  Rees's  Cyclopedia,  in  which  I 
suppose  he  had  read  every  article,  and  which  was  often  taken 
down  when  I  became  old  enough  to  ask  questions,  and  passages 
pointed  out  in  it  for  my  reading. 

"  All  these  remembrances  may  explain  why  the  lonely  little 
white  farm-house  under  the  hill  was  such  a  Paradise  to  us,  and  the 
sight  of  its  chimneys  after  a  day's  ride  was  like  a  vision  of  Eden. 
In  later  years,  returning  there,  I  have  been  surprised  to  find  that 
the  hills  around  were  so  bleak  and  the  land  so  barren ;  that  the 
little  stream  near  by  had  so  few  charms  to  uninitiated  eyes.  To 
us,  every  juniper  bush,  every  wild  sweetbrier,  every  barren  sandy 
hillside,  every  stony  pasture,  spoke  of  bright  hours  of  love,  when 
we  were  welcomed  back  to  Nutplains  as  to  our  mother's  heart." 

The  first  event  that  followed  in  the  year  of  the  great 
family  sorrow,  was  the  removal  of  Grandma  Beecher  and 
Aunt  Esther  to  the  parsonage  at  Litchfield  to  take  charge  of 
the  family.  Grandma  Beecher  was  a  fine  specimen  of  the 


UNCLE   TOM'S   CABIX.  21 

Puritan  character  of  the  strictest  pattern.  She  was  however 
naturally  kind,  generous  and  sympathizing,  and  had  a  special 
fondness  for  animals.  She  was  the  perfection  of  neatness  and 
order;  but  her  love  for  her  motherless  grandchildren 
opened  the  door  of  her  room  to  them,  and  little  Harriet 
was  her  favorite.  Her  stock  of  family  traditions  and 
neighborhood  lore  was  wonderful,  and  among  her  precious 
books  were  chiefly,  the  Bible  and  Prayer-book.  Lowth's 
Isaiah,  she  knew  almost  by  heart ;  Buchanan's  Kesearches 
in  Asia,  Bishop  Heber's  Life,  and  Dr.  Johnson's  Works,  were 
also  great  favorites  with  her.  These  books  her  grandchil 
dren  were  called  upon  to  read,  while  at  frequent  intervals 
she  explained  passages.  Under  the  regime  of  honest,  con 
scientious  Aunt  Esther,  the  family  lived  on  comfortably 
for  a  year,  when  a  new  mother  came  to  govern  and  guide  at 
the  parsonage. 

She  was  a  Miss  Harriet  Porter,  of  Portland,  Maine,  a  lady 
of  gentle  birth  and  personal  accomplishments,  whom  Lyman 
Beecher  had  met  upon  one  of  his  professional  visits  to  a 
brother  pastor.  Harriet  Beecher's  first  impression  of  her 
was  of  a  beautiful  lady,  very  fair,  with  bright  blue  eyes  and 
soft  auburn  hair,  who  came  into  the  nursery  where  Harriet 
slept  with  her  two  younger  brothers,  with  an  eager,  affec 
tionate  smile,  kissed  them  and  told  them  that  she  loved 
little  children  and  would  be  their  mother.  They  wanted 
forthwith  to  get  up  and  be  dressed,  but  they  were  pacified 
with  a  promise  that  she  would  be  there  in  the  morning. 
Probably  never  did  step-mother  make  a  prettier  or  sweeter 
impression.  The  Beechers  were  noisy,  red-cheeked,  hearty 
country  children,  and  they  looked  at  the  delicate,  elegant 
lady  whom  their  father  had  brought  home,  with  awe.  She 


22  THE   LIFE   WORK   OF   THE    AUTHOR   OF 

seemed  rather  like  a  strange  princess,  than  their  own 
mamma;  her  ways  of  speaking  and  moving  were  very 
graceful;  she  was  peculiarly  dainty  and  neat  in  her  per 
sonal  appearance  and  belongings ;  she  had  beautiful  white 
hands,  adorned  with  handsome  rings,  and  Harriet  used  at 
first  to  feel  breezy  and  rough  in  her  presence. 

While  Harriet  worshipped  her  with  a  childish  devotion, 
it  appears  that  she  at  least  once,  was  stung  with  a  momen 
tary  jealousy  of  her  high  place  in  her  father's  affections, 
and  the  little  girl  poutingly  said,  to  the  great  amusement 
of  every  one  :  "Because  you  have  come  and  married  my 
Pa,  when  I  am  big  enough,  I  mean  to  go  and  marry  your 
Pa."  But  the  feeling  was  fleeting,  instantly  superceded 
by  the  love  which  endured  during  their  life  together. 

But,  as  transpired,  the  second  Mrs.  Beecher's  nature  and 
habits  were  too  refined  and  exacting  for  the  bringing  up  of 
so  many  children  of  great  animal  force  and  vigor,  under 
the  pressure  of  straitened  circumstances.  She  became  the 
mother  of  four  children,  who  were  Isabella,  Thomas,  a  babe 
who  died,  and  James,  but  to  the  last  had  little  sympathy- 
with  the  ordinary  feelings  of  childhood.  Mrs.  Stowe 
has  said  of  her  religious  training  of  the  little  ones, 
with  whom  she  spent  an  hour  of  intense  and  positive 
exhortation  and  prayer  every  Sunday  night :  "  She  gave 
an  impression  of  religion  as  being  like  herself,  calm,  sol 
emn,  inflexible,  mysteriously  sad  and  rigorously  exacting." 
Lyman  Beecher  used  to  declare  that  his  second  wife,  who 
was  converted  from  a  lighthearted  petted  beauty  into  a 
serious  Christian  of  extreme  severity,  adopted  her  minis 
ter's  dyspepsia  at  the  same  time  she  did  his  Calvinism ! 

In  these  early  years  were  made  those  impressions  of  the 


UNCLE    TOM'S   CABIN. 

old  meeting  house  in  which  her  father  preached,  so  graphi 
cally  described  by  Mrs.  Stowe  in  one  of  her  sketches  :— 

"To  ray  childish  eye,  our  old  meeting  house  was  an  awe-inspir 
ing  thing.  To  me  it  seemed  fashioned  very  nearly  on  the  model 
of  Noah's  Ark  and  Solomon's  Temple  as  set  forth  in  the  pictures 
in  my  Scripture  Catechism — pictures  which  I  did  not  doubt  were 
authentic  copies ;  and  what  more  venerable  architectural  prece 
dent  could  one  desire  ? 

"  Its  double  row  of  windows,  of  which  I  knew  the  number  by 
heart ;  its  door,  with  great  wooden  quirls  over  them ;  its  belfry 
projecting  out  at  the  east  end ;  its  steeple  and  bell,  all  inspired  as 
much  sense  of  the  sublime  in  me  as  Strasbourg  Cathedral  itself; 
and  the  inside  was  not  a  whit  the  less  imposing. 

"  How  magnificent  to  my  eye  seemed  the  turnip-like  canopy 
that  hung  over  the  minister's  head  hooked  by  a  long  iron  rod  to 
the  wall  above,  and  how  apprehensively  did  I  consider  the  ques 
tion  what  would  become  of  him  if  it  should  fall?  How  did  I 
wonder  at  the  panels  on  either  side  of  the  pulpit  in  each  of  which 
was  carved  and  painted  a  flaming  red  tulip  with  its  leaves  pro 
jecting  out  at  right  angles  !  And  then  at  the  grape-vine  in  bas- 
relief  on  the  front  with  exactly  triangular  leaves.  The  area  of 
the  house  was  divided  into  large  square  pews,  boxed  up  with  stout 
boards,  and  surmounted  with  a  kind  of  baluster  work  which  I  sup 
posed  to  be  provided  for  the  special  accommodation  of  us  young 
sters,  being  the  '  loop-holes  of  retreat '  through  which  we  gazed 
upon  the  '  remarkabilia '  of  the  scene." 

In  the  same  article  appears  a  description  of  the  singer's 
seat,  which  is  only  equalled  by  Washington  Irving's  in 
imitable  word  picture  of  the  choir  in  the  loft  of  the  little 
church  at  Bracebridge  Hall. 

"  Bui  the   glory  of  our  meeting-house  was  its  singer's  seat,  that 


24  THE   LIFE   WORK   OF   THE   AUTHOR   OF 

empyrean  of  those  who  rejoiced  in  the  mysterious  art  of  fa-sol-la- 
ing.  There  they  sat  in  the  gallery  that  lined  three  sides  of  the 
house  ;  treble,  counter,  tenor  and  bass,  each  with  its  appropriate 
leader  and  supporters.  There  were  generally  seated  the  bloom  of 
our  young  people,  sparkling,  modest  and  blushing  girls  on  one 
side,  with  their  ribbons  and  finery  making  the  place  as  blooming 
and  lovely  as  a  flower  garden  ;  and  the  fiery,  forward  and  con 
fident  young  men  on  the  other. 

"  But  I  have  been  talking  of  singers  all  the  time  and  have  neg 
lected  to  mention  the  Magnus  Apollo  of  the  whole  concern  who 
occupied  the  seat  of  honor  in  the  midst  of  the  second  gallery,  and 
exactly  opposite  to  the  minister.  With  what  an  air  did  he  sound 
the  important  fa-sol-la  in  the  ears  of  the  waiting  gallery,  who 
stood  with  open  mouths  ready  to  give  the  pitch  preparatory  to  the 
general  set  to.  How  did  his  ascending  and  descending  arm  aston 
ish  the  zephyrs  when  once  he  laid  himself  out  to  the  important 
work  of  beating  time. 

"  But  the  glory  of  his  art  consisted  in  the  execution  of  those 
good  old  billowy  compositions  called  fuguing  tunes,  where  the  four 
parts  that  compose  the  choir  take  up  the  song,  and  go  racing 
around  one  after  the  other,  each  singing  a  different  set  of  words, 
till  at  length  by  some  inexplicable  magic,  they  all  come  together 
again  and  sail  smoothly  out  into  a  rolling  sea  of  harmony ! 

"  I  remember  the  wonder  with  which  I  used  to  look  from  side  to 
side  when  treble,  tenor,  counter  and  bass  were  thus  roaring  and 
foaming,  and  it  verily  seemed  to  me  as  if  the  psalm  were  going  to 
pieces  in  the  breakers ;  and  the  delighted  astonishment  with  which 
I  found  that  each  particular  verse  did  emerge  whole  and  uninjured 
from  the  storm." 

The  girl  was  mother  to  the  woman,  whose  keen  observa 
tions  and  discriptive  powers  were  of  a  remarkable  order, 


UNCLE   TOM'S   CABIN.  25 

and  whose  sympathy  for  the  suffering  and  oppressed  rose 
into  the  sublime  eloquence  of  her  great  book. 

An  older  sister  thus  describes  an  incident  which  displays 
the  affection  of  the  child  for  her  pets,  and  the  earnestness 
with  which  she  paid  to  one,  her  tribute  of  sympathy  and 
regret. 

"  There  was  a  very  old  yellow  cat  in  the  house  in  Litchfield,  -to 
which  my  father  moved  when  I  was  about  five  years  old,  and  in 
which  Harriet  was  born.  Tom,  for  that  was  his  name,  must  have 
been  an  old  cat  at  that  time,  and  when  Harriet  was  about  eight,  it 
was  evident  that  he  was  about  to  die.  Harriet  came  to  her  step 
mother  one  morning  and  said,  poor  old  Torn  is  lying  on  the  bank 
all  alone,  and  he's  going  to  die,  and  I  can't  bear  to  have  him  die 
alone,  mayn't  I  stay  at  home  and  sit  with  him  ?  Her  step-mother 
gave  her  leave,  so  the  little  girl  gave  the  old  pussy  company  and 
comfort  for  the  little  of  his  life  which  was  left. 

"  The  other  children  appear  to  have  been  so  excited  by  this  de 
votion  of  hers  that  they  made  a  funeral  for  Tom,  at  which  her 
sister  Catherine  read  an  epitaph  which  Harriet  with  the  *  sweet  in 
vocation  of  a  child  ;  most  pretty  and  pathetical,'  had  implored  her 
to  write." 

From  the  same  pen  we  receive  another  reminiscence, 
which  further  illustrates  her  instinctive  fondness  for  cats, 
which  with  other  animals  were  always  her  pets,  and  fre 
quently  mentioned  in  her  writings. 

**  Harriet  was  very  fond  of  reading  the  Arabian  Knights,  which 
she  found  at  her  grandmother's  house,  at  Nutplains.  It  happened 
that  a  stray  cat  attached  itself  to  the  grandmother,  who  took  no 
fancy  to  it,  and  rejected  its  affectionate  attentions.  This  grieved 
the  little  girl,  who  conceived  the  idea  that  the  cat  was  really  the 
old  lady's  daughter,  who  had  lost  her  human  form,  by  some  magic 


26  THE   LIFE   WORK   OF   THE   AUTHOR   OF 

art,  and  was  hopelessly  trying  to  make  her  love  known  to  her 
mother.  She,  remembering  how  those  magic  spells  were  broken, 
in  her  favorite  book,  used  to  take  her  opportunity  in  private,  and 
throw  water  over  the  poor  cat, — saying,  '  If  this  is  thy  natural 
form,  retain  it,  if  not,  resume  the  form  of  a  woman.'  But  the  im 
prisoned  daughter  was  never  set  free." 

Another  cat  story  is  worth  reproducing  here,  having  a 
special  interest,  as  it  was  doubtless  Mrs.  Stowe's  last  contri 
bution  to  the  press.  It  was  given  by  her  to  the  writer  who 
was  then  editing  the  City  Mission  Record  of  Hartford,  Conn., 
for  publication  in  that  magazine,  of  Feb.,  1888. 

"  When  I  was  eight  years  of  age  I  had  a  favorite  cat,  of  whom 
I  was  very  fond.  Puss  was  attacked  with  fits,  and  in  her  parox 
ysms  flew  round  the  top  of  the  wall,  jumped  onto  our  heads  and 
scratched  and  tumbled  up  our  hair  in  a  frightful  way.  My  father 
shot  her,  and  when  she  was  cold  and  dead  my  former  fondness  re 
turned.  I  wrapped  her  nicely  in  a  cloth  and  got  my  brother  to 
dig  a  grave  and  set  up  a  flat  stone  for  a  monument.  Then  I  went 
to  my  older  sister,  Catherine,  and  asked  her  to  write  me  an 
"epithet"  (epitaph)  to  put  on  the  stone. 

She  wrote : 

Here  lies  poor  Kit 
Who  had  a  fit 
And  acted  queer ; 
Killed  with  a  gun 
Her  race  is  run, 
And  she  lies  here. 

I  pasted  this  upon  the  stone  and  was  comforted." 

Harriet  Beecher  grew  into  girlhood  a  hearty,  rosy,  strong 
child,  with  flying  curls  of  sunny  brown,  and  sweet,  keen 
blue  eyes,  always  ready  for  fun  and  play  ;  a  happy  frolicsome 
creature,  rejoicing  in  this  life,  yet  already  weighted  with  the 
prospect  of  the  life  which  is  to  come — a  subject  which  in 


UNCLE    TOM'S   CABIX.  27 

all  its  theological  bearings  was  never  ignored  or  neglected 
in  that  hill-top  parsonage.  She  says  of  herself, — "I  was 
educated  first  and  foremost  by  Nature,  wonderful,  beautiful, 
ever  changing  as  she  is  in  that  cloud-land,  Litchfield." 

She  ran  wild  among  the  trees  and  hills.  She  heard  with 
rapture  the  pipe  and  trilling  of  the  birds  ;  she  made  friendly 
acquaintance  with  the  small  game  anight  or  afoot  in  the 
fields;  she  followed  winding  streams  to  their  source;  she 
sailed  boats;  listened  to  the  rippling  of  the  water  over  the 
bright  shallows  ;  watched  the  sunlight  in  the  shimmering 
depths  of  the  deep  pools,  or  the  shining  fish  which  darted 
out  of  sight  or  lazily  floated  in  the  sun.  She  gathered  the 
first  sweet  wildlings  of  the  spring;  had  her  secret  places 
where  luscious  strawberries,  equally  gratifying  to  the  aes 
thetic  and  gustatory  sense  nodded  upon  their  stems ; 
gathered  gorgeous  lilies  and  blazing  poppies  and  the  blue 
corn  flower  in  the  hay-field  in  the  quivering  heart  of  June, 
and  went  nutting  in  the  delicious  haze  and  leafy  brilliance 
of  October.  There  was  nothing  foreign  or  unknown  to  her 
in  the  kindly  fruitage  of  the  earth  ;  and  she  learned,  close 
to  Nature's  heart,  those  unspeakable  lessons  which  she 
whispers  to  her  devout  children. 

But  coming  from  what  Oliver  Wendell  Holmes  has 
termed  "  the  Brahmin  class  of  New  England,"  whose 
instinctive  refinement  of  feeling  and  natural  aptitude  for 
learning  seem,  to  use  the  genial  doctor's  own  words, 
"  hereditary  and  congenital,"  Harriet  Beecher  early  promised 
to  be  a  scholar.  When  she  was  five  years  of  age,  she  had 
been  to  school,  learning  to  read  very  fluently,  and  having 
a  retentive  memory,  had  committed  twenty-seven  hymns 
and  two  long  chapters  in  the  Bible. 


28  THE  LIFE   WORK   OF   THE   AUTHOR   OF 

Her  eagerness  to  read,  winch  grew  and  increased  with 
every  year  of  her  life,  was  constantly  stimulated  by  the 
bracing  intellectual  atmosphere  of  her  home,  which  as  we 
have  seen,  was  characterized  by  an  unusual  degree  of  activ 
ity.  The  light  literature,  which  now  floods  every  house 
hold,  was  a  thing  unknown,  and  after  revelling  in  the  Ara 
bian  Knights,  she  used  to  spend  hours  in  the  attic,  desper 
ately  searching  among  the  sermons,  treatises,  tracts,  and 
essays,  which  she  surreptitiously  dragged  from  a  barrel,  for 
fresh  food  for  her  active  mind.  Once  turning  up  a  dis 
sertation  on  Solomon's  Song,  she  devoured  it  with  a  relish, 
as  it  told  of  the  same  sort  of  things  she  read  of  in  the  in 
exhaustible  tales  of  her  beloved  Scherherazade.  She  was 
at  another  time  rewarded  for  several  hours  toil  i!h  what  she 
called,  "  a  weltering  ocean  of  pamphlets,"  by  bringing  to 
light  a  fragment  of  "  Don  Quixote,"  which  was  fraught 
with  enchantment  and  read  with  a  frantic  disregard  of  the 
possible  objection  of  her  parents.  At  this  time  the  names 
of  Scott,  Byron,  Moore,  and  Irving,  were  comparatively 
new.  The  "  Salmagundi  Papers  "  were  recent  publications 
though  making  a  literary  sensation  among  intelligent  peo 
ple.  Byron  had  not  quite  finished  his  course,  and  Aunt 
Esther,  a  woman  of  strdng  mind,  ready  wit,  and  the  best 
of  critical  perceptions,  one  day  gave  to  Harriet  a  volume 
of  his  works,  containing  "  The  Corsair."  This  she  read 
with  wonder  and  delight,  and  thenceforth  listened  eagerly 
to  whatever  was  said  in  the  house  concerning  Byron.  Not 
long  after,  she  heard  her  father  sorrowfully  observe,  "  Byron  is 
dead, — gone."  She  says,  "  I  remember  taking  my  basket 
for  strawberries  that  afternoon  and  going  over  to  a  field  on 
€hestnut  hill.  But  I  was  too  dispirited  to  do  anything ; 


UNCLE   TOM'S  CABIN.  29 

so  I  lay  down  among  the  daisies,  and  looked  up  into  the 
blue  sky,  and  thought  of  that  great  eternity  into  which 
Byron  had  entered,  and  wondered  how  it  might  be  with  his 
soul." 

Harriet  Beecher  was  then  a  child  of  eleven,  but  was 
.sufficiently  precocious  to  appreciate  the  genius  in  Byron's 
passionate  poetry  and  to  share  the  enthusiasm  which  his 
works  had  everywhere  created. 

Scott  had  written  his  best  poems,  and  "  The  Lay  of  the 
Last  Minstrel,"  and  "  Marmion,"  were  familiar  to  the 
Beecher  household,  as  to  intelligent  people  the  world  over, 
but  a  novel,  was  regarded  by  most  pious  people  as  a  thing 
detrimental,,  if  not  unclean,  having  become  so  generally 
depreciated  in  the  hands  of  the  writers  of  the  previous 
generation. 

"  The  Tales  of  my  Landlord,"  and  "  Ivanhoe,"  had  just 
made  their  appearance,  and  great  was  the  joy  of  the  house 
hold  when  Dr.  Beecher,  after  careful  perusal  of  one  or  two 
of  them,  gave  his  son  George  permission  to  read  Scott's 
novels.  In  the  summer,  Harriet  and  George,  who  was  a 
year  or  two  her  senior,  read  "  Ivanhoe  "  seven  times,  and 
learned  many  of  the  scenes  so  that  they  could  recite  them 
from  beginning  to  end,  rehearsing  them  as  dialogues  each 
assuming  several  characters  in  the  most  versatile  man 
ner,  suiting  voice  and  action  to  the  words,  in  a  style  which 
they  deemed  dramatically  effective. 

One  of  the  events  of  the  year  in  the  parsonage  at  Litch- 
field  was  the  apple  cutting,  when  a  barrel  of  cider  apple 
sauce  was  to  be  made  and  the  boys  and  girls  were  pressed 
into  service  as  assistants.  The  work  was  done  in  the 
kitchen,  an  immense  shining  brass  kettle  hanging  over  the 


30  THE   LIFE   WOKK   OF   THE   AUTHOR   OF 

fire  in  the  deep  chimney,  and  the  whole  family  of  children 
and  servants,  gathered  around,  employed  on  the  great 
baskets  of  apples  and  quinces.  Dr.  Beecher  presided  at  the 
apple  peeler,  turning  the  crank  with  great  expedition,  and 
one  evening  said  to  George,  "  Come,  I'll  tell  you  what  we'll 
do  to  make  the  evening  go  off.  You  and  I'll  take  turns 
and  see  who'll  tell  the  most  out  of  Scott's  novels."  So 
they  took  them,  novel  by  novel,  reciting  scenes  and  inci 
dents,  which  kept  the  children  wide-awake,  and  made  their 
work  fly,  while  Harriet  often  made  a  correction,  or  supplied 
with  joyful  eagerness,  some  point  they  had  omitted. 

Before  Harriet  could  write,  she  had  printed  many  of 
these  and  other  stories  from  memory,  making  little  books 
which  her  sisters  sewed  together,  and  often  used  to  enter 
tain  her  little  brothers,  Henry  and  Charles,  by  reading  to 
them  portions  which  she  had  reproduced  almost  verbatim. 
Henry  Ward  Beecher  has  said  that  a  verbal  memory  such 
as  hers,  would  have  doubled  his  powers.  She  shared  the 
bed  in  the  nursery  with  these  two  little  fellows,  and  her  older 
sister  recalls  often  hearing  her  adapt  condensations  of  her 
reading  to  their  comprehension.  She  used  to  lay  flat  upon 
the  floor,  poring  over  the  great  family  Bible,  committing 
entire  chapters  to  memory.  She  studied  Paradise  Lost  in 
the  same  manner. 

Dr.  Beecher  constantly  encouraged  his  children  to  intel 
lectual  joustings.  In  the  words  of  Charles  Beecher  : 

"  The  law  of  his  family  was  that,  if  any  one  had  a  good  thing, 
he  must  not  keep  it  to  himself;  if  he  could  say  a  funny  thing,  he 
was  bound  to  say  it ;  if  a  severe  thing,  no  matter — the  severer 
the  better,  if  well  put ;  every  one  must  be  ready  to  take  as  well 
as  give.  The  Doctor  never  asked  any  favors  of  his  children,  nor 


UNCLE    TOM'S   CABIN.  31 

stood  upon  his  dignity,  in  encounters  of  wit  or  logic.  When  they 
grappled  him,  he  taught  them  to  grapple  in  earnest,  and  they 
well  knew  what  they  had  to  expect  in  return." 

The  conditions  of  young  Harriet  Beeclier's  early  'school 
life  were  particularly  favorable  to  sound  learning  and 
thorough  culture.  There' -were  situated  in  Litchfield  at  the 
time,  the  best  school  in  Connecticut.  Nominally  under  the 
direction  of  Miss  Sarah  Pierce,  a  w?!i  educated  and  superior 
woman,  its  real  head  and  moving  spirit  was  her  nephew, 
John  Pierce  Brace,  a  teacher  who  left  his  impress  upon 
many  now  celebrated  minds,  and,  afterwards  became 
famous  as  the  principal  of  the  highly  reputed  Hartford 
Female  Seminary.  No  teacher  can  have  better  "  educated  " 
his  pupils  in  the  true  sense  of  the  word.  While  not  a 
martinet  or  drill  master,  in  the  modern  sense  of  the  term, 
he  yet  possessed  a  subtle  intelligence  in  reaching  the  in 
tellect  of  his  scholars,  an  instinct  for  all  that  was  best  in 
them,  and  an  appreciation  of  their  individual  tastes  and 
mental  bias,  which  was  as  rare,  as  it  was  an  enviable  quality. 
The  Academy  in  Litchfield  became  one  of  those  pure  wells 
from  which  the  hidden  strength  of  New  England  character 
was  drawn.  Pupils  had  gathered  to  it  from  as  far  as 
Boston.  There  were  one  hundred  students  about  equally 
divided  between  boys  and  girls.  There  was  a  class  of 
young  men  preparing  for  college,  and  the  greater  number 
of  the  boys  had  the  same  ultimate  object.  The  girls  however 
had  no  restrictions  as  to  their  course,  except  such  as  were  the 
result  of  personal  preference,  and  this  clear-headed  daughter 
of  Dr.  Lyman  Beech er  took  up  the  classics  and  higher 
mathematics  with  her  brothers.  Mr.  Brace  was  always 
stimulating  the  girls  to  such  undertakings  and  felt  a  special 


32  THE   LIFE   WOKK   OF   THE   AUTHOR  OF 

pride  in  this  alert,  fun-loving  child.  She  held  a  natural 
admiration  for  the  doubtful  works  of  art  which  came  under 
the  supervision  of  Miss  Titcomb,  and  possessed  of  a  fair 
proficiency  in  reproducing  the  embroidery  and  feminine 
accomplishments  of  the  Hannah  More  and  Johnsonian 
school.  These  consisted  mostly  of  mourning  pieces,  with 
the  family  moniiment  in  the  centre,  a  weeping  willow 
drooping  sadly  over  a  black  robed  woman,  whose  face  was 
invariably  covered  with  a  pocket  handkerchief,  and  pastoral 
scenes,  with  fair  shepherdesses  sitting  on  green  chenille 
banks,  tending  bunchy  animals  of  uncertain  species,  which 
were  by  faith  received  as  sheep.  But  she  had  a  stronger 
predilection  for  book  lore,  and  pursued  her  Latin  and  Greek 
verses  with  the  same  persistency  and  disposition  to  win, 
that  she  followed  a  bee  to  its  lair  or  sought  the  first  sweet 
blossoms  of  the  spring  in  the  cool  wet  nooks  under  the 
forest  leaves. 

The  fact  was  John  P.  Brace  during  his  early  life  had  been 
a  sailor,  and  in  the  ports  of  the  Mediterranean  and  the 
churches  of  Spain  and  Italy,  had  seen  the  old  masters, 
knew  what  Murillos  and  Titians  were  like,  and  glanced 
with  scarcely  concealed  amusement  at  the  marvelous  ar 
tistic  productions,  then  held  in  such  reverence  by  New 
England  housewives.  Cicero  and  Ovid,  Greek  authors, 
Shakespeare,  Milton,  Johnson,  Bacon,  Spenser,  Goldsmith 
and  Dryden,  geography,  history,  rhetoric  and  higher  mathe 
matics,  were  the  daily  exercise  and  recitation  of  his  pupils. 
Mr.  Brace  was  accused  of  using  his  teachings  as  a  mental 
gratification  for  himself.  If  there  was  a  subject  he 
wanted  to  investigate,  a  classic  author  that  he  wanted  to 
unearth,  or  a  knotty  point  to  unravel,  he  would  put  a  class 


33 

upon  it  and  come  out  with  scorn  upon  any  poor  body  so 
bound  down  by  routine  as  to  suggest  that  it  had  nothing  to 
do  with  the  corning  college  examinations.  Mr.  Brace  was 
sparing  of  praise,  took  delight  in  puzzling  his  pupils  and 
setting  all  their  faculties  at  work  by  unexpected  questions, 
and  could  not  endure  the  mechanical  methods  which  then 
obtained,  and  have  not  even  now,  become  desirably  obso 
lete  in  schools.  He  understood  perfectly  that  mere  cram 
ming  of  the  memory  with  facts  was  not  education,  and 
realized  that  to  fit  the  intellects  under  his  charge  to  grasp  a 
new  question,  to  view  it  from  all  standpoints  and  judge 
accurately  of  its  merits,  was  better  than  to  pack  away  much 
undigested  learning,  upon  the  shelves  of  the  mental  store 
house.  He  used  to  say — "  Learn  to  use  your  own  heads 
and  you  can  learn  anything."  And  "  Learn  to  read  Greek 
perfectly,  and  it's  no  matter  what  you  read." 

As  may  be  imagined,  there  was  little  idling  or  shirking 
in  a  school  conducted  on  such  principles,  and  the  result  of 
his  training  has  been  shown  in  the  lives  of  his  pupils,  many 
of  whom  became  prominent  and  luminous  in  the  intellect 
ual  history  of  New  England. 

When  Harriet  was  very  young,  her  own  simple  lessons 
were  neglected  and  forgotten  as  she  sat  listening  intently, 
hour  after  hour,  to  the  conversations  of  Mr.  Brace  with  his 
older  classes  upon  moral  philosophy,  history  and  rhetoric. 
Particular  attention  was  given  in  this  school  to  the  writing 
of  compositions.  Harriet  was  but  nine  years  old  when 
roused  by  the  inspiration  of  her  teacher,  she  volunteered  to 
write  one  every  week.  One  of  the  first  themes  given  was 
"The  Difference  between  the  Natural  and  the  Moral  Sub 
lime,"  a  subject  sufficiently  formidable  to  have  appalled 
3 


34  THE   LIFE   WORK   OF   THE    AUTHOR   OF 

many  an  older  pupil ;  bnt  she  found  herself  laboring  with 
the  subject,  felt  sure  that  she  could  make  some  clear  distinc 
tions,  and  before  she  could  write  legibly  or  spell  correctly, 
brought  forth  her  first  composition,  upon  this  ponderous 
theme,  receiving  judicious  praise.  Two  years  later  she 
received  the  appointment  to  furnish  one  of  the  articles 
to  be  read  at  the  closing  exhibition  and  took  the 
negative  of  the  following  question  : — "  Can  the  Immortal 
ity  of  the  Soul  be  proved  by  the  Light  of  Nature."  This 
argument  was  read  before  the  literati  of  Litchfield  who 
crowded  the  town  hall  upon  that  distinguished  occasion, 
and  so  interested  Dr.  Lyman  Beecher,  who  knew  nothing 
of  the  effort,  that  at  the  close  he  said  to  Mr.  Brace,  "  Who 
wrote  that  composition?  "  "  Your  daughter,  sir,"  was  the 
the  answer,  which  plainly  filled  the  father  with  pleased 
surprise,  and  Harriet  has  said,  it  was  the  proudest  moment 
of  her  life. 

Most  favorably  supplementing  the  advantages  of  inher 
ited  character,  home  and  school  influences,  and  educa 
tion,  was  the  social  environment,  the  high  literary  and  his 
torical  atmosphere,  which  pervaded  the  society  which 
recognized  the  Beecher's  as  among  their  most  capable 
leaders  and  inspirers.  Few  country  towns  in  our  land  have 
so  beautifully  diversified  topographical  features  as  Litch 
field,  Connecticut,  and  still  rarer  are  the  localities,  which 
have  so  many  interesting  incidents  and  associations,  patri 
otic,  literary  and  religious,  connected  with  their  history. 
The  home  of  the  Beechers  was  upon  a  wide  and  breezy 
hill,  from  which  can  still  be  seen  a  long  stretch' of  charac 
teristic  New  England  scenery.  Distinguished  people  made 
their  home  in  this  picturesque  township,  near  the  centre  of 


UNCLE   TOM'S   CABIN.  35 

the  county,  and  Lyman  Beecher  preached  in  the  meeting 
house  of  the  Congregational  Society  to  persons  whose  careers 
have  made  them  famous  in  history.  There  was  Ethan 
Allen,  a  native  of  Litchfield,  whose  professed  infidelity  did 
not  prevent  his  honest  admiration  for  Lyman  Beecher, 
whose  church  he  regularly  attended.  There  was  the 
gallant  Colonel  Tallmage,  of  Herculean  frame  and  a  face 
like  Washington's,  who  once  rode  three  miles  with  a  defence 
less  girl  behind  him  on  horseback,  carrying  her  to  a  place 
of  safety.  There  was  Gov.  Oliver  Wolcott,  a  member  of 
Washington's  cabinet;  Hon.  John  Allen,  a  member  of 
Congress  celebrated  for  his  uncommon  stature,  being  nearly 
seven  feet  high  and  large  in  proportion;  Hon.  Frederick 
Wolcott,  a  distinguished  lawyer;  Hon.  Uriel  Holmes,  a 
lawyer  of  note,  member  of  Congress  and  Judge  of  the 
County  Court ;  John  Pierpont,  the  poet,  and  Dr.  Sheldon, 
one  of  the  most  celebrated  physicians  in  the  State.  Most 
intimate  in  his  relations  with  the  family,  was  Judge  Reeves, 
who  was  for  over  a  half  a  century  a  citizen  of  Litchfield, 
and  founder  of  the  celebrated  Law  School,  which  for  forty 
years  was  sought  by  young  men  of  talent,  from  nearly  every 
state  in  the  union.  Judge  Reeves  was  distinguished  for  his 
piety  and  interest  in  all  benevolent  operations,  as  much  as 
for  his  learning.  In  him,  Dr.  Beecher  found  a  kindred 
spirit,  and  one  who  stood  nearer  to  him  than  any  other,  in 
Christian  intimacy.  His  first  wife  was  a  grand-daughter  of 
President  Johnathan  Edwards,  and  a  sister  of  Aaron  Burr, 
who  for  six  years  made  Litchfield  his  home.  The  influence 
and  lasting  impress  of  these  associations  upon  the  girl,  is 
to  be  easily  traced  in  the  work  of  the  woman  who  became 
America's  greatest  reformer. 


36  THE  LIFE   WORK  OF   THE   AUTHOR   OF 

It  was  fashionable  in  Litchfield  to  take  long  walks  to  the 
hill  tops  to  see  the  gorgeous  sunsets,  to  make  observations 
of  the  constellations  which  starred  the  heavens  by  night,  and 
watch  the  changing  phases  of  the  moon,  with  an  astronomical 
enthusiasm  quite  apart  from  the  sentimental  observations, 
peculiar  doubtless  then,  as  now,  to  young  lovers.  Tea 
parties  were  then  as  now  social  occasions,  but  varying 
from  what  has  been  cleverly  characterized  as  the  "  creme 
de  la  creme  uneventfulness  "  of  the  four  o'clock  receptions 
of  the  present  day,  in  a  manner  reflecting  most  favorably 
upon  the  intelligence  of  that  time. 

It  was  the  rule  to  discuss  the  current  literature  of  the 
day,  the  last  articles  in  the  English  Eeviews,  the  latest 
Waverly  novel,  the  poetry  of  Scott,  Burns,  Byron,  Southey, 
Moore  and  Wordsworth. 

Frequently  one  of  the  learned  Judges,  who  was  an  admir 
able  talker,  would  hold  the  attention  of  the  drawing-room, 
while  he  ran  a  parallel  between  the  dramatic  handling  of 
Scott's  characters  as  compared  with  Shakespeare,  or  gave 
an  analysis  of  the  principles  of  the  Lake  School  of  poetry. 
The  students  in  the  law  offices  and  school,  and  the  young 
ladies  of  the  best  families,  had  reading  circles  and  literary 
partialities,  and  there  was  much  polished  allusion  and 
quotation  and  spouting  of  poetry,  and  some  youths  who 
tied  their  open  shirt  collars  with  black  ribbon  after  the 
fashion  of  Byron,  and  professed  disgust  at  the  hollow  state 
of  human  happiness  in  general.  Compassionate  young 
ladies  found  them  all  the  more  interesting,  for  this  state 
of  mysterious  desolation,  and  tried  with  surprising  suc 
cess  to  console  them.  Frequently,  literature  was  forgot 
ten  in  the  intense  interest  in  politics ;  and  one  evening 


UNCLE   TOM'S  CABIN.  37 

when  enough  had  come  to  light  to  make  it  apparent 
that  the  state  of  Connecticut  had  gone  over  from  the  Fed 
eralists  to  the  Democrats,  the  triumph  of  the  lower  orders,  the 
reign  of  "  sans-culottism,"  was  felt  to  have  begun,  and  the 
prediction,  by  a  social  magnate,  that  they  were  all  dwelling 
over  a  volcano  which  would  burst  and  destroy  all  their 
institutions,  was  heard  with  fear  by  Harriet  Beecher,  who 
was  yet  a  little  comforted  to  observe  that  the  judge  selected 
a  particularly  choice  piece  of  cake,  and  took  a  third  cup  of 
tea  with  much  calmness  in  the  very  midst  of  these  shock 
ing  prognostications. 


CHAPTER  II. 

HARRIET  BEECHER  GOES  TO  HARTFORD  TO  SCHOOL.  SHE 
BECOMES  ASSISTANT  PUPIL  IN  THE  HARTFORD  FEMALE 
SEMINARY.  HER  PERSONALITY  AS  A  YOUNG  WOMAN. 
REMOVAL  TO  CINCINNATI  WITH  HER  FAMILY  IN  1832. 
THE  SEMICOLON  CLUB.  LITERARY  ASSOCIATIONS.  PRIZE 
STORY,  "  UNCLE  LOT,"  WRITTEN  FOR  THAT  CLUB  AT  THE 
AGE  OF  TWENTY-TWO.  HER  MARRIAGE  TO  PROFESSOR 
CALVIN  E.  STOWE  TWO  YEARS  LATER.  MATERNITY,  AND 
A  NARROW  ESCAPE  FROM  DEATH  BY  CHOLERA  IN  THE 
EPIDEMIC  OF  1845.  PUBLICATION  OF  "  THE  MAYFLOWER  " 
IN  1846.  REVIEW  OF  "  UNCLE  LOT  "  AND  OTHER  SKETCHES. 
THE  SLAVERY  QUESTION  BECOMES  A  BURNING  ISSUE. 

A  CHANGE  of  base  was  coming  for  little  Harriet  Beecher, 
not  yet  in  her  early  teens.  Catherine,  the  oldest  of  the 
family,  then  a  thoroughly  educated,  intellectual  and  digni 
fied  young  lady,  was  engaged  to  marry  Professor  Alexan 
der  M.  Fisher,  of  Yale  College;  a  man  already  distinguished, 
and  of  great  promise  in  his  profession.  He  started  for 
Europe  in  April,  1822,  where  he  purposed  to  study  and 
travel  for  a  year  before  his  marriage.  The  ship  Albion,  in 
which  he  sailed,  was  lost,  and  only  one  of  all  its  passengers 
and  crew,  came  back  to  tell  the  tale.  The  brilliant  girl, 
lately  so  fall  of  joy  and  hope,  lost  heart  in  everything  in 
life,  and  fell  into  a  sort  of  rebellious  melancholy,  from 
38 


UNCLE   TOM'S  CABIN.  39 

which  it  seemed  for  a  time  that  even  her  helpful  spirit  and 
practical  education,  could  not  rescue  her. 

With  the  lapse  of  time  she  rallied  somewhat,  but  felt 
that  she  must  fly  from  the  scenes  which  spoke  so  con 
stantly  and  eloquently  of  her  lover  and  her  lost  hope,  and 
.seek  relief  from  crushing  thought,  in  active  work.  She 
went  to  Hartford,  Connecticut,  and  with  the  assistance  of 
her  younger  sister  Mary,  afterwards  Mrs.  Thomas  C.  Per 
kins,  she  opened  a  school  for  girls,  which  became  famous 
and  was  known  under  the  name  which  it  still  preserves,  of 
the  Hartford  Female  Seminary.  This  school,  which  was 
in  a  way  a  successor  to  one  kept  by  Lydia  Maria  Huntley, 
afterwards  Mrs.  Sigourney,  was  soon  standing  on  a  par 
with  those  of  Mrs.  Willard  at  Watertown  and  Troy,  New 
York,  and  Miss  Lyon's  and  Miss  Grant's  academy  at 
Ipswich.  Their  brother,  Edward,  then  at  the  head  of 
the  Hartford  Latin  School,  boarded  with  his  sisters  in  the 
household  over  which  Aunt  Esther  Beecher  presided.  The 
older  members  of  this  family,  were  even  then  coming  to  be 
famous  for  their  intellectual  force  and  scholarly  attain 
ments,  attracting  to  them  the  best  of  the  cultured  society 
of  the  town.  Harriet  was  confided  to  her  sister's  care,  and, 
leaving  all  the  freedom  and  varied  joys  of  child  life  in  the 
country,  she  settled  seriously  to  work  and  remained  at 
Hartford  six  years.  During  the  latter  part  of  the  time  she 
became  an  assistant  pupil,  teaching  Latin  and  translating 
Yirgil  into  English  heroic  verse,  mingling  her  teaching, 
studies  and  social  diversions  in  the  most  delightful  and 
profitable  manner. 

While  Harriet  was  not  thought,  by  any  means,  the  equal 
of  her  elder  sister  in  mental  weight  and  power,  and  of  a  rather 


40  THE   LIFE   WORK  OF   THE  AUTHOR  OF 

careless  and  -unpractical  turn  of  mind,  she  was  amiable  and 
endearing  in  her  ways,  and  was  recognized  as  a  decidedly 
clever  young  lady,  of  rare  sincerity  and  plainness  in  speech, 
with  a  vein  of  humor  and  a  sleepy  sort  of  wit,  which 
flashed  out  in  the  most  unexpected  manner.  ISTo  seer  per 
ceived  above  the  ringleted  head  of  the  absent-minded 
young  teacher,  a  dark  attendant  spirit,  benignant  yet 
mournful,  "  poor,  grand,  old  world-wept,  polyglotted  Uncle 
Tom,"  the  brightness  of  whose  character  will  forever  illu 
mine  her  name ;  but  the  pupils,  who  in  after  years  recalled 
with  pride  their  acquaintance  with  Harriet  Beecher, 
never  remembered  aught  of  her  that  was  not  generous  and 
kind. 

Goethe  has  said  that  much  may  be  known  of  a  person's 
character  by  observing  what  things  excite  his  laughter. 
Though  Harriet  Beecher's  sense  of  the  ludicrous  was  keen 
practical  joking  was  not  to  her  taste.  No  strange  or  amusing 
combination  of  happenings  could  excite  her  mirth,  if  thereby, 
another  was  made  uncomfortable.  She  was  richly  pos 
sessed  of  humor — that  charming  faculty  which  enables  one 
to  be  amusing  without  a  sting  ;  the  quick  perception  of  the 
ludicrous  in  life,  which  is  so  expressed  as  to  leave  no 
smart  behind.  The  difference  between  wit  and  humor  has 
been  cleverly  defined  by  George  "W.  Bungay.  He  says : 
"  "Wit  laughs  at  everybody;  humor  laughs  with  everybody." 
Harriet  Beecher  began  in  her  earliest  childhood  to  laugh 
with  everybody  with  most  enviable  good  nature  and  it  was 
only  upon  rare  provocation,  that  she  exercised  her  power  of 
trenchant  repartee. 

In  1826,  after  long  and  anxious  self  examination,  Dr. 
Lyman  Beecher  came  to  the  conclusion  that  he  had  no 


41 

longer  a  right  to  live  in  debt,  for  want  of  a  sufficient  salary. 
He  was  the  father  of  eleven  children,  and  the  problem  of 
educating,  feeding  and  clothing  the  large  family  who 
remained  upon  his  hands,  was  a  dark  one.  Eight  hundred 
dollars  a  year,  had  it  been  promptly  paid,  which  was  not 
usually  the  case,  was  not  a  princely  income.  Many  of  the 
ministers  of  that  time  in  New  England  were  forced  to  eke 
out  the  small  salary  given  them,  by  farming  on  week  days,  by 
writing  school  or  religious  books,  or  even  by  taking  agencies 
and  selling  popular  articles.  Dr.  Beecher's  sense  of  dignity 
and  clerical  duty  would  not  permit  this,  and  without  con 
sulting  any  one,  he  resolved  to  leave  Litchfield  as  soon  as 
he  could  find  a  more  remunerative  parish.  By  a  singular 
co-incidence,  in  twelve  hours  after  this  decision  was 
reached,  a  letter  arrived,  inviting  him  to  the  Hanover 
Street  Church,  of  Boston.  Here  for  six  years  he  waged  an 
earnest  war  for  Orthodoxy  against  Unitarianism,  preaching 
upon  various  themes  in  so  trenchant  and  powerful  a  man- 
nei;  that  his  fame  spread  all  over  the  land.  His  Boston 
career  was  the  acme  of  his  life. 

Dr.  Beech er  united  the  logical  faculty  with  the  imagina 
tive  and  the  emotional,  in  a  very  high  degree.  His  preach 
ing,  as  has  been  said  of  another,  was  logic  on  fire.  He 
preached  the  fundamentals  of  Christian  doctrine,  and  not 
the  philosophies  or  the  nice  distinctions  of  the  schools ; 
and  he  preached  them  in  a  light  so  clear  and  convincing, 
with  convictions  so  irresistible,  with  appeals  so  fervid,  and 
with  such  persuasive  attraction,  that  his  ministry  in  Boston 
and  elsewhere,  was  one  of  singular  power  and  success.  He 
likewise  took  a  prominent  part  in  the  famous  theological 
and  ecclesiastical  controversy  which  agitated  New  England 


42  THE   LIFE   WORK  OF   THE   AUTHOR   OF 

and  several  branches  of  the  Church,  and  which  resulted  in 
the  division  of  the  Presbyterian  Church  in  1837,  and  of  the 
Methodist  Episcopal  Church  in  1844. 

Slavery  as  well  as  doctrinal  differences,  entered  largely  into 
this  fierce  conflict.  Lyman  Beecher  was  a  man  of  great  origi 
nality,  boldness  and  robustness  of  character,  openly  and  vehe 
mently  denouncing  intemperance,  dueling,  and  other  social 
evils  of  the  times.  His  six  sermons  against  intemperance, 
prepared  and  preached  while  at  Litchfield,  were  a  trumpet 
blast  that  shook  the  world  and  produced  a  prodigious  excite 
ment  and  impression  everywhere.  Although  among  the  first 
to  speak  and  write  on  the  subject,  those  sermons  on  the  evil 
and  guilt  of  drunkenness,  in  the  matter  of  argument,  fact,  in 
vective  and  appeal,  have  not  been  surpassed  in  the  whole  his 
tory  of  temperance  literature.  He  was  withal  a  profound 
student  of  theology,  and  was  selected  by  the  voice  of  the 
Church  to  establish  a  Theological  school  for  the  training  of 
men  for  the  ministry  in  the  great  and  rapidly  growing  West, 
where  for  twenty  years  he  did  grand  service.  He  was 
called  to  a  professorship,  and  later  the  presidency  of  Lane 
Seminary,  Cincinnati,  in  1832,  and  the  whole  family  fol 
lowed  him.  Catherine  and  Mary  Beecher  resigned  their 
school  in  Hartford  to  the  able  management  of  John  P. 
Brace,  under  whose  teaching  they  had  been,  and  following 
whose  precepts  given  them  years  before,  they  had  made  it 
a  gratifying  success,  who  carried  it  on  for  twelve  years 
after  their  departure.  Mary  having  married,  Catherine  and 
Harriet,  together  founded  a  school,  in  Cincinnati. 

For  several  years  following,  the  social  life  of  Harriet 
Beecher  was  of  the  most  stimulating  and  beneficial  kind. 
•The  intelligence,  and  general  culture,  which  pervaded  the 


UNCLE  TOM'S  CABIN.  43 

atmosphere  about  the  region  at  "Walnut  Hills,  upon  a  high 
point  of  which  stood  the  Seminary;  the  charming  associa 
tions  which  embraced  the  professors,  their  wives  and 
families,  theological  students  and  visiting  graduates ;  the 
transition  to  the  broader  life  of  the  then  far  West,  which 
enabled  her  to  look  back  upon  New  England  life  and 
customs  with  a  discriminating  eye ;  and  the  inspiring  con 
versation  and  inquiries  which  called  forth  description  and 
opinions,  all  tended  to  cultivation,  and  freedom  of  thought 
and  expression. 

The  literary  guild  into  which  Harriet  Beecher  was  hap 
pily  drawn,  had  no  little  influence  in  awakening  in  her  a 
consciousness  of  her  powers,  and  furnished  opportunities  and 
encouragement  in  the  exercise  of  those  faculties  which  have 
made  her  famous.  Out  of  the  sympathy  and  good  fellow 
ship  of  many  of  the  men  and  women  of  that  vicinity, 
there  grew  a  desire  to  associate  themselves  in  literary  work, 
and  a  series  of  social  reunions  were  established,  under  the 
name  of  "  The  Semi-colon  Club." 

At  these  meetings,  essays,  sketches,  reviews,  stories  and 
poems  were  read,  and  discussions  and  conversations  carried 
on,  enlivened  and  diversified  with  music.  Among  the 
people  who  participated  in  the  meetings  who  have  since 
become  distinguished,  may  be  mentioned  Judge  Hall,  editor 
of  "  The  Western  Monthly  Magazine,"  Miss  Catherine 
Beecher,  Professor  Hentz,  and  his  graceful  and  accom 
plished  wife,  Caroline  Lee  Hentz,  a  novelist  of  popularity ;  E. 
JP.  Cranch,  the  humorist,  whose  delicious  fancies  flowed  with 
equal  ease  into  word  pictures  or  pencil  drawings,  Charles 
"W".  Eliot,  the  New  England  historian,  three  Misses  Black- 
well,  two  of  whom  have  gained  distinction  as  physicians, 


44  THE   LIFE   WORK   OF  THE   AUTHOR   OF 

Professor  Calvin  E.  Stowe,  then  already  widely  known  in 
Europe  and  America  as  a  scholar  and  author,  and  Professor, 
subsequently  General,  O.  M.  Mitchell,  whom  the  nation  re 
members  as  one  of  its  most  accomplished  scientific  men, 
and  mourns  as  one  of  the  noblest  martyrs  in  the  cause  of 
liberty. 

In  this  brilliant  circle,  Harriet  Beecher's  genius  soon 
began  to  shine  conspicuously,  and  her  articles  descriptive  of 
the  peculiarities  of  'New  England  life  and  character,  were 
met  with  tremendous  applause.  One  called  "  Uncle  Lot," 
written  for  the  Semi-colon  Club  in  1834,  made  the  greatest 
impression,  and  when  Judge  Hall  offered  fifty  dollars 
for  the  best  story  for  his  magazine,  and  Harriet  Beecher 
having  revised  the  sketch  sent  it  to  the  judges,  she  received 
the  prize — an  accession  to  her  private  funds,  which  was  by 
no  means  to  be  despised.  She  became  an  occasional  con 
tributor  to  the  Western  Monthly  Magazine,  and  to  Godey's 
Lady's  Book,  writing  a  number  of  sketches  which  made  a 
favorable  impression,  drawing  her  out  of  the  immediate 
circle  of  inspiring  and  enthusiastic  friends  into  the  wider 
criticism  and  approval  of  the  reading  world  in  American 
cities  and  towns.  These  sketches  will  be  noticed  later  on  in 
the  discussion  of  their  publication  in  book  form,  under  the 
name  of  "The  Mayflower." 

Among  the  intimate  friends  of  Harriet  Beecher,  at  this 
period,  was  Eliza  Tyler,  the  daughter  of  Eev.  Dr.  Tyler,  of 
Andover,  Mass.,  the  wife  of  Calvin  E.  Stowe,  the  scholarly 
professor  of  Biblical  Criticism  and  Oriental  Literature  in 
Lane  Seminary.  Mrs.  Stowe  was  several  years  older  than 
her  chosen  friend,  Harriet  Beecher,  but  found  in  her  ener 
getic  mind  and  brisk  manners,  the  natural  complement  to  her 


UNCLE   TOM'S  CABIN.  45 

own  gentle  personality,  which  was  somewhat  depressed  by 
a  delicate  physique. 

Mrs.  Stowe  died  during  the  first  year  which  her  husband 
spent  in  his  capacity  of  Professor  at  Lane,  and  his  intimate 
acquaintance  and  regard  for  the  daughter  of  President 
Lyman  Beecher,  was  augmented  and  deepened  during  the 
next  three  years,  at  the  end  of  which  they  were  married. 
Harriet  Beecher  was  twenty-four  years  of  age  when  she 
became  the  wife  of  a  man  in  every  way  fitted  to  guide  her 
in  the  life  work  which  yet  lay  folded  in  the  veil  of  the 
future.  He  was  nine  years  her  senior,  a  man  of  fine 
presence,  a  graduate  of  Bowdoin  College  and  of  the 
Andover  Theological  Seminary,  where  he  became  assistant 
professor  of  sacred  literature,  and  later,  had  been  professor  of 
languages  in  Dartmouth.  In  1833  he  was  chosen  professor 
of  Biblical  literature  at  Lane  Seminary,  and  remained  in 
that  chair  seventeen  years.  During  the  year  of  his  marriage 
he  spent  several  months  in  Europe  in  behalf  of  the  Legisla 
ture  of  the  State  of  Ohio,  studying  the  public  school  system 
of  Europe,  particularly  that  of  Germany.  He  prepared  a 
valuable  public  document  on  "  Elementary  Education  in 
Europe,"  and  other  papers  treating  of  the  Prussian  school 
system.  These  were  reprinted  from  the  Ohio  state  docu 
ments  by  Pennsylvania,  Michigan,  Massachusetts,  North 
Carolina  and  Virginia,  and  were  circulated  through  those 
states,  free.  His  conclusions  were  the  key-note  for  much  ol 
the  educational  work  in  the  United  States.  This,  however, 
was  by  no  means  his  first  achievement  in  literature.  He 
had  been  editor  of  the  Boston  Recorder,  afterwards  merged 
into  The  Congregationalist,  immediately  after  his  gradua 
tion  at  Andover,  and  had  contributed  liberally  to  many 


46  THE  LIFE   WOKK   OF   THE   AUTHOR   OF 

leading  periodicals  of  the  day.  While  at  Andover  as 
assistant  professor  of  Sacred  Literature,  he  translated  Jahn's 
"  History  of  the  Hebrew  Commonwealth,"  which  was  pub 
lished  at  Andover  and  in  London.  His  "  Lectures  on  the 
Sacred  Poetry  of  the  Hebrews,"  were  of  the  same  period. 
He  published  one  volume  of  "An  Introduction  to  the 
Criticism  and  Interpretation  of  the  Bible  "  at  Cincinnati, 
in  1833,  the  year  of  his  advent  there.  So  his  attainments 
became  a  stimulus  to  his  young  wife,  and  the  first  to  en 
courage  and  appreciate  her  efforts  in  her  literary  career  was 
her  husband. 

Harriet  Beech er  Stowe  never  lived  in  Kentucky,  but  dur 
ing  the  years  spent  at  Cincinnati,  which  is  separated  from  that 
state  only  by  the  Ohio  Eiver,  which,  as  a  shrewd  politician 
once  remarked,  was  dry  one  half  the  year  and  frozen  the 
other,  she  traveled,  accompanied  by  her  father,  somewhat 
extensively  in  the  northern  belt  of  slave  holding  territory, 
and  became  acquainted  in  the  families  of  her  pupils,  whom 
she  visited,  with  some  excellent  slave  holders,  for  whom  the 
Shelbys  served  as  a  type.  She  saw  many  counterparts  of 
the  humane,  conscientious,  just  and  generous  people  who 
regarded  slavery  as  an  evil,  and  were  anxiously  considering 
their  duties  to  their  chattels.  Her  life  on  the  banks  of  the 
Ohio  Eiver — the  boundary  line  between  the  slave  and  free 
states — opened  to  her  a  new  field  of  experience,  observation 
and  sympathy.  Her  life  was  full  of  pleasant  cares,  sympa 
thetic  anxieties,  loving  pride,  and  there  was  a  widening  and 
awakening  of  her  powers  of  mind  and  heart,  which  came  from 
wifehood,  maternity,  and  an  active  concern  in  the  affairs  of 
the  various  types  of  humanity  which  throbbed  closely  about 
her.  All  of  her  faculties  and  feelings  were  called  into 


UNCLE   TOM'S  CABIN.  47 

active  play.  No  neglected  capabilities  wasted  away  from 
disuse.  Every  impulse  of  her  strong,  comprehensive  nature 
was  stimulated,  strengthened  and  encouraged  in  the  atmos 
phere  of  her  environment. 

Children  came,  and  a  double  blessing  and  care  promptly 
presented  itself  in  the  form  of  twin  daughters.  Mrs. 
Stowe  has  since  laughingly  remarked  that  the  first 
child  is  always  a  poem,  but  those  who  follow  are 
often  most  unsentimental  prose.  This  tiny  couplet  was 
welcomed  with  all  the  fervor  of  young  maternal  affec 
tion.  The  babies  were,  with  one  exception,  exactly  alike ; 
one  had  curling  rings  of  soft  hair,  and  the  other  appeared 
quite  satisfied  with  her  silken  halo,  which  under  the  brush 
of  the  nurse  laid  more  circumspectly  upon  the  little  head. 
The  proud  father  soon  decided  upon  the  names,  to  which 
his  wife  gave  pleased  acquiescence.  The  one  was  called 
Eliza  Tyler,  after  the  beloved  wife  and  dear  friend,  gone  to 
Heaven,  and  the  curly  head  was  named  Harriet  Beecher.  A 
boy  made  his  advent  within  the  next  year,  another  son 
came  while  these  little  ones  yet  toddled  about  the  floor, 
another  daughter,  and  a  baby  boy  who  died  in  his  wee 
childhood,  in  all  six  who  came  upon  the  stage  during  the 
fifteen  years  at  Cincinnati. 

In  1845,  during  an  epidemic,  which  spread  through  the 
city,  and  by  the  illness  and  sudden  death  of  a  number  of 
students,  spread  consternation  in  the  community  at  Walnut 
Hills,  Mrs.  Stowe  narrowly  escaped  death  by  cholera.  In 
three  hours  after  her  attack  she  had  run  into  a  collapse, 
with  spasms,  burnings  and  cramps,  with  the  stamp  of 
death  upon  her  face.  But  it  was  not  to  be.  ,Her  work  was 
not  done,  and  she  recovered. 


48  THE  LIFE   WOKK   OF   THE   AUTHOR   OF 

Professor  Stowe's  salary  was  small,  and  their  means 
straitened,  so  that  his  wife  kept  but  one  assistant  in  house 
hold  affairs,  "  Miss  Anna,"  the  young  woman  who  for  years 
was  a  faithful  nurse  to  the  children  and  has  ever  been 
kindly  remembered  by  the  whole  family.  It  is  related  by 
a  sister-in-law,  that  one  morning,  when  this  girl  had  been 
sent  out  upon  an  errand,  Mrs.  Stowe  was  trying  to  get  through 
some  household  work,  and  three  babies,  none  of  them  yet 
able  to  walk,  were  crying  upon  the  floor.  Mother  Beecher, 
the  Doctor's  third  wife,  who  had  been  a  Mrs.  Jackson,  of 
Boston,  came  in  just  then  and  after  helping  to  pacify  the 
screaming  twins,  and  the  sobbing  boy  who  vociferated  for 
his  mother  was  taken  in  her  arms,  Mrs.  Beecher  suggested 
to  Mrs.  Stowe  that  she  might  employ  her  talents  to  better 
effect,  than  in  doing  housework.  "  Try  writing  for  the  maga 
zines  again.  I  am  sure  you  could  succeed,  and  by  far  less 
labor  and  much  pleasanter  occupation,  you  can  earn  enough 
to  pay  a  woman  to  do  the  work."  Mrs.  Stowe  acted  upon 
the  advice  and  soon  found  acceptance  for  her  pen  creations, 
which  helped  wonderfully  in  lightening  the  burdens  of 
her  daily  life. 

*In  1846,  having  selected  some  of  her  earlier  sketches 
and  added  thereto  others  with  the  prize  story  "  Uncle  Lot," 
Mrs.  Stowe  issued  her  first  book  under  the  name  of  "  The 
Mayflower." 

It  had  but  a  limited  circulation  and  for  some  years  was 
out  of  print.  After  she  became  famous,  the  articles  were 
republished  in  the  present  volume  known  under  that  name, 
which  also  contains  miscellaneous  writings  which  have 
appeared  in  different  periodicals. 

*The  date  upon  a  title  page  of  a  volume  from  tlie  first  edition  fixes  the  time  of 
this  publication  three  years  earlier  than  that  given  by  Allibone. 


UNCLE   TOM'S  CABIN.  49 

"  Uncle  Lot "  opens  with  a  breezy  paragraph  which  calls 
forth  the  interest  and  sympathy  of  the  reader,  the  more  so, 
if  he  happens  to  be  a  native  of  the  good  old  New  England, 
of  which  she  speaks  so  proudly.  It  proceeds  into 
graphic  description  and  a  delineation  of  indigenous  charac 
ters  which  holds  out  a  bright  promise  of  her  future  won 
derful  work.  Uncle  Lot  Griswold,  the  personified  chestnut 
burr,  full  of  prickly  points  without  and  substantial  sweet 
ness  within,  with  his  cross-grain  of  surly  petulance,  and  his 
strong  fibre  of  right  feeling  and  action;  his  wife,  a  respecta 
ble,  pleasant-faced,  God-fearing,  and  domestic  matron  of  the 
real  New  England  type  ;  his  pretty  daughter  Grace,  just 
returned  from  school,  radiant  with  magical  brightness, 
pretty  in  person  and  pleasant  in  her  ways,  with  native  self 
possession  and  a  good  humored  but  positive  mind  of  her 
own;  are  drawn  with  a  few  clean  strokes,  which  evince 
skill  and  rounded  ideas.  The  effervescing  personality  of 
Master  James  Benton,  the  lover  of  Grace  Griswold,  who 
was  not  altogether  favored  by  Uncle  Lot,  chiefly  on  his 
principle  of  contrariety  in  all  things  and  pride  in  not  suc 
cumbing  to  an  universal  favorite,  is  so  clever  and  full  of 
vitality  that  one  may  be  pardoned  an  extract. 

"  Now,  this  James  is  to  be  our  hero,  and  he  is  just  the  hero  for 
a  sensation — at  least,  so  you  would  have  thought,  if  you  had  been 
in  Newbury  the  week  after  his  arrival.  Master  James  was  one  of 
those  whole-hearted,  energetic  Yankees,  who  rise  in  the  world  as 
naturally  as  cork  does  in  water.  He  possessed  a  great  share  of 
that  chacteristic  national  trait  so  happily  denominated  "  cuteness," 
which  signifies  an  ability  to  do  everything  without  trying,  and  to 
know  everything  without  learning,  and  to  make  more  use  of  one's 
ignorance  than  other  people  do  of  their  knowledge.  This  quality 
4 


50  THE   LIFE   WORK   OF   THE    AUTHOR   OF 

in  James  was  mingled  with  an  elasticity  of  animal  spirits,  a  buoy 
ant  cheerfulness  of  mind,  which,  though  found  in  the  New  Eng 
land  character,  perhaps,  as  often  as  any  where  else,  is  not  ordi 
narily  regarded  as  one  of  its  distinguishing  traits. 

"  As  to  the  personal  appearance  of  our  hero,  we  have  not  much 
to  say  of  it — not  half  so  much  as  the  girls  in  Newbury  found  it 
necessary  to  remark  the  first  Sabbath  that  he  shone  out  in  the 
meeting-house.  There  was  a  saucy  frankness  of  countenance,  a 
knowing  roguery  of  eye,  a  joviality  and  prankishness  of  demeanor, 
that  was  wonderfully  captivating,  especially  to  the  ladies. 

"  It  is  true  that  Master  James  had  an  uncommonly  comfortable 
opinion  of  himself,  a  full  faith  that  there  was  nothing  in  creation 
that  he  could  not  learn  and  could  not  do  ;  and  this  faith  was  main 
tained  with  an  abounding  and  triumphant  joyfulness,  that  fairly 
carried  your  sympathies  along  with  him,  and  made  you  feel  quite 
as  much  delighted  with  his  qualifications  and  prospects  as  he  felt 
himself.  There  are  two  kinds  of  self-sufficiency  ;  one  is  amusing, 
and  the  other  is  provoking.  His  was  the  amusing  kind.  It 
seemed,  in  truth,  to  be  only  the  buoyancy  and  overflow  of  a  viva 
cious  mind,  delighted  with  every  thing  delightful,  in  himself  or 
others.  He  was  always  ready  to  magnify  his  own  praise,  but 
quite  as  ready  to  exalt  his  neighbor,  if  the  channel  of  discourse 
ran  that  way  :  his  own  perfections  being  completely  within  his 
knowledge,  he  rejoiced  in  them  more  constantly  ;  but,  if  those  of 
any  one  else  came  within  range,  he  was  quite  as  much  astonished 
and  edified  as  if  they  had  been  his  own. 

"  Master  James,  at  the  time  of  his  transit  to  the  town  of  New- 
bury,  was  only  eighteen  years  of  age ;  so  that  it  was  difficult  to 
say  which  predominated  in  him  most,  the  boy  or  the  man.  The 
belief  that  he  could,  and  the  determination  that  he  would,  be 
something  in  the  world  had  caused  him  to  abandon  his  home,  and, 
with  all  his  worldly  effects  tied  in  a  blue  cotton  handkerchief,  to 
proceed  to  seek  his  fortune  in  Newbury.  And  never  did  stranger 


UNCLE   TOM'S  CABIN.  51 

in  Yankee  village  rise  to  promotion  with  more  unparalleled  rapidity 
or  boast  a  greater  plurality  of  employment.  He  figured  as  school 
master  all  the  week,  and  as  chorister  on  Sundays,  and  taught  sing 
ing  and  reading  in  the  evenings,  besides  studying  Latin  and 
Greek  with  the  minister,  nobody  knew  when  ;  thus  fitting  for 
college,  while  he  seemed  to  be  doing  everything  else  in  the  world 
besides. 

u  James  understood  every  art  and  craft  of  popularity,  and  made 
himself  mightily  at  home  in  all  the  chimney  corners  of  the  region 
round  about ;  knew  the  geography  of  everybody's  cider  barrel 
and  apple  bin,  helped  himself  and  every  one  else  therefrom  with 
all  bountifulness  ;  rejoiced  in  the  good  things  of  this  life,  devoured 
the  old  ladies' doughnuts  and  pumpkin  pies  with  most  flattering 
appetite,  and  appearing  equally  to  relish  everybody  and  thing 
that  came  in  his  way. 

"The  degree  and  versatility  of  his  acquirements  were  truly 
wonderful.  He  knew  all  about  arithmetic  and  history,  and  all 
about  catching  squirrels  and  planting  corn  ;  made  poetry  and  hoe 
handles  with  equal  celerity  ;  wound  yarn  and  took  out  grease  spots 
for  old  ladies,  and  made  nosegays  and  knick-knacks  for  young  ones  ; 
caught  trout  Saturday  afternoons,  and  discussed  doctrines  on  Sun 
days,  with  equal  adroitness  and  effect.  In  short,  Mr.  James 
moved  on  through  the  place 

'  Victorious, 
Happy  and  Glorious,' 

welcomed  and  privileged  by  everybody  in  every  place,  and  when 
he  had  told  his  last  ghost  story,  and  fairly  flourished  himself  out 
of  doors  at  the  close  of  a  long  winter's  evening,  you  might  see  the 
hard  face  of  the  good  man  of  the  house  still  phosphorescent  with 
his  departing  radiance,  and  hear  him  exclaim,  in  a  paroxysm  of 
admiration,  that  '  Jemeses  talk  re'ely  did  beat  all ;  that  he  was 
sartainly  most  a  miraculous  cre'tur ! ' 


52  THE   LIFE   WOKK   OF   THE   AUTHOR   OF 

"It  was  wonderfully  contrary  to  the  buoyant  activity  of 
Master  James's  mind  to  keep  a  school.  He  had,  moreover,  so 
much  of  the  boy  and  the  rogue  in  his  composition,  that  he  could 
not  be  strict  with  the  iniquities  of  the  curly  pates  under  his  charge  ; 
and  when  he  saw  how  determinately  every  little  heart  was  boiling 
over  with  mischief  and  motion,  he  felt  in  his  soul  more  disposed 
to  join  in  and  help  them  to  a  frolic,  than  to  lay  justice  to  the  line, 
as  was  meet.  This  would  have  made  a  sad  case,  had  it  not  been 
that  the  activity  of  the  master's  mind  communicated  itself  to  his 
charge,  just  as  the  reaction  of  one  little  spring  will  fill  a  manufac 
tory  with  motion ;  so  that  there  was  more  of  an  impulse  towards 
study  in  the  golden,  good-natured  day  of  James  Benton  than  in  the 
time  of  all  that  went  before  or  came  after  him. 

"But  when  l school  was  out,' James's  spirits  foamed  over  as 
naturally  as  a  tumbler  of  soda  water,  and  he  could  jump  over 
benches  and  burst  out  of  doors  with  as  much  rapture  as  the  veriest 
little  elf  in  his  company." 

It  is  not  difficult  to  believe  that  Master  James  succeeded  in 
"  getting  around  "  the  old  man,  and,  having  won  the  heart 
of  the  maiden  became  her  happy  husband  at  the  end.  In 
this  sketch  there  becomes  apparent  the  writer's  great  love 
for  nature,  as  seen  in  trees  and  flowers  and  in  the  conven 
tionalism  of  the  old-fashioned  country  garden.  She  speaks 
of  the  tiny  blooming  beauties  as  if  they  were  beings  with 
souls,  and  conveys  to  the  reader  the  keen  enjoyment  of  the 
humorous  side  of  common  things,  for  instance,  the  chasing 
of  a  flock  of  sheep  out  of  the  garden,  with  the  rare  gift  of 
expression  which  has  distinguished  her  character  drawing, 
and  irradiates  all  her  writings.  The  inimitable  scene 
where  Master  James  plays  himself  and  his  obnoxious  flute 
into  Uncle  Lot's  good  graces  by  means  of  "Yankee  Doodle," 


UNCLE   TOM'S  CABIN.  53 

and  through  the  gamut  from  patriotic  feeling  to  religious 
sentiment  in  "Old  Hundred,"  stands  in  pleasant  relief 
against  the  pathetic  scenes  which  precede  the  death  of 
George  Griswold,  the  minister-son  of  the  old  man,  upon 
whom  his  heart  and  hopes  were  set.  The  devotion  of  the 
son-in-law,  and  the  touching  confidence  which  the  broken 
old  man  at  last  reposes  in  his  daughter's  husband,  who 
was  also  his  son's  friend,  bring  the  story  to  a  symmetrical 
close. 

Other  pertinent  and  well  written  articles  are,  "  Let  every 
Man  mind  his  own  Business,"  a  pithy  temperance  tale,  full 
of  telling  points  and  healthful  sarcasm ;  "Mrs.  A.  and  Mrs. 
B.,  or  "What  She  Thinks  About  It."  a  sketch  which  hits 
off  in  the  most  telling  manner,  some  of  the  social  peculiar 
ities  of  her  own  sex,  one  which  has  the  enduring  quality 
which  attends  a  true  reading  of  human  nature,  and  is  just 
as  applicable  and  forcible  to-day  as  when  it  was  written; 
"A  Scholar's  Adventures  in  the  Country,"  which  humor 
ously  sets  forth  the  difficulties  and  annoyances  suffered  by 
a  learned  man  without  "a  faculty,"  who  essays  to  live 
economically  in  the  country ;  and  the  sketch  of  "  The  old 
Meeting-House,"  which  is  a  faithful  description  of  the  old 
church  at  Litchfield,  with  her  childish  impressions  of  the 
service  and  the  actors  in  it,  from  which  excerpts  have  been 
made. 

These,  and  other  sketches,  cannot  be  unread  by  the  one 
who  desires  to  make  a  fair  estimate  of  Harriet  Beecher 
Stowe's  culture  and  quality  of  mind,  at  the  period  of  her  life 
which  preceded  the  writing  of  that  great  work  which  sprang 
full- armed,  burning  with  fiery  strength,  brave  with  convic 
tion  and  mighty  with  right,  from  this  quiet  woman's  brain, 


54  THE   LIFE   WORK   OF   THE   AUTHOR   OF 

straight  into  the  arena  of  politics,  and  the  full  light  of  the 
world's  criticism. 

It  was  not  the  characteristic  of  the  Beecher  mind  to  deal 
with  dead  issues  or  musty  questions.  They  all  had  abun 
dant  sympathy  with  the  human  failings  and  vicissitudes  of 
existence,  and  kept  an  outlook  upon  the  aspects  of  the  race 
as  the  world  moved  on. 

At  Cincinnati,  Harriet  Beecher  Stowe  was  in  the  very 
rush  and  turmoil  of  the  stream  of  public  opinion  upon  the 
Slavery  Question,  as  it  wore  and  broke  into  seething  cur 
rents,  against  the  still  water  of  indifference  or  apathy,  or 
dashed  madly  against  the  rocks  of  diverse  opinion,  which 
here  and  there  interposed.  On  the  other  bank  of  the  Ohio 
Eiver,  men  were  bought  and  sold,  tortured,  dishonored,  mur 
dered,  with  no  hope  of  rescue  or  redress  in  this  world.  On 
her  side  they  were  nominally  free,  but  only  so  in  name,  for 
the  hunters  of  escaped  slaves  forced  the  laws  to  their  side 
of  the  question.  The  people  were  forbidden  under  heavy 
penalties  to  harbor  fugitives,  and  not  until  their  feet 
touched  the  soil  of  Canada,  were  they  safe,  and  really  free. 

At  this  time  Lyman  Beecher  and  his  family  were  on  prin 
ciple,  in  favor  of  gradual  emancipation,  and  the  President 
of  Lane  Seminary  ordered  that  the  question  of  abolition 
should  not  be  discussed.  The  result,  which  was  the  depart 
ure  of  three-quarters  of  the  students,  was  a  sore  trial  to 
him  and  his  children,  and  especially  so  to  Catherine,  who 
published  a  volume  in  1837  entitled,  "  Miss  Beecher  on  the 
Slave  Question."  It  was  evident  that  her  feelings  against 
the  Abolitionists  had  been  intensified  by  recent  occur 
rences,  and  this  book  was  received  with  much  favor  by  the 
.slave-holders  and  their  apologists.  But  facts  were  more 


UNCLE  TOM'S  CABIN.  55 

persuasive  than  theories,  and  the  younger  members  of  the 
family,  Charles  and  Henry  and  Harriet,  as  well  as  Profes 
sor  Stowe,  were  so  moved  by  the  outrages  which  constantly 
came  to  their  knowledge,  that  they  threw  politics  and 
expediency  to  the  winds. 

Whenever  opportunity  offered,  they  gave  aid  and 
succor  to  their  colored  brethren  escaping  from  bondage. 
They  sheltered  them,  gave  them  food  and  clothing,  planned 
to  send  them  on  their  way  to  the  Canadian  border,  and 
Charles  Beecher  and  Calvin  Stowe  rode  nights  to  fur 
ther  them  on  their  journey  under  the  friendly  cover  of 
darkness.  Harriet  Beecher  Stowe,  clasping  her  own  little 
children  to  her  heart,  saw  and  heard  the  agonies  of  dusky 
mothers  separated  from  their  darlings.  Living  secure,  and 
proudly  resting  upon  the  protection  and  guiding  care  of 
her  noble  husband,  she  saw  wives  torn  from  their  husband's 
arms  and  sold  away  to  shame,  and  lonely  death.  Fondly 
associating  with,  appealing  to,  and  rendering  helpful  love 
to  her  father  and  brothers,  she  saw  black  brothers  and  sis 
ters  taken  from  their  parents  and  scattered  to  the  farthest 
ends  of  the  states  which  staggered  under  "the  system." 

She  educated  her  own  children,  and  in  the  elasticity  ot 
her  affections,  which  embraced  all  new  appellants  for 
rnercy  or  kindness,  she  had  taken  into  her  little  school, 
several  colored  boys  and  girls,  who  under  the  social  ostra 
cism  obtained  in  Cincinnati,  were  without  instruction. 
"When,  one  day,  the  mother  of  a  bright  little  boy,  who  had 
become  one  of  her  charges,  came  weeping,  to  tell  her  that 
he  was  a  slave,  and  was  about  to  be  dragged  back  to  igno 
minious  servitude,  Mrs.  Stowe  promptly  put  on  her  bonnet 
and  canvassing  the  neighborhood,  raised  enough  money  to 


56  THE   LIFE   WORK   OF   THE    AUTHOR    OF 

pay  his  ransom  and  returned  him  to  the  ownership  of  his 
over-joyed  mother.  These  cases  many  times  repeated  and 
multiplied,  with  the  constantly  recurring  tales  of  sorrow 
and  hardship  which  would  come  over  the  border,  made  a 
deep  impression  upon  the  uncalloused  mind  of  the  incipient 
author  of  "  Uncle  Tom's  Cabin." 

Furthermore  her  brother  Charles,  who  had  betimes  been 
most  enthusiastic  and  reckless  of  his  own  safety  in  co-oper 
ation  with  Professor  Stowe  in  spiriting  some  terror-stricken 
slave  out  of  reach  of  his  pursuers,  not  yet  prepared  to  enter 
the  ministry  which  he  afterwards  assumed,  had  gone  to  live 
in  New  Orleans.  He  was  engaged  as  a  collecting  clerk  in 
a  large  mercantile  business  house  near  the  wharves  and 
river  docks,  where  slavery  loomed  up,  showing  in  a  horrid 
light  the  degredation  of  chattels,  drivers,  traders  and  owners. 
Society  there  was  permeated  through  and  through  with  its 
pollution,  and  Charles  Beecher  saw  it  in  all  its  enormity, 
and  the  hideous  deformity  of  human  character  and  institu 
tions  which  resulted  from  it.  His  letters  to  his  family  at 
Cincinnati  were  read  with  ever  increasing  horror  and  indig 
nation,  as  he  cited  in  his  impetuous  manner,  case  after  case 
which  came  under  his  observation  at  New  Orleans. 

In  the  meantime,  Cincinnati  began  to  ferment  in  agita 
tion  against  and  in  defense  of  the  "  institution,"  and  even 
the  more  conservative  souls  were  painfully  disturbed  by  the 
question.  The  president,  the  leading  professors,  and  a  great 
proportion  of  the  students  at  Lane  Theological  Seminary, 
in  fifteen  years  had  become  avowed  Abolitionists.  Theo 
dore  D.  Weld,  then  a  student,  raised  his  persuasive  voice  in 
exhortation  and  prayer  against  the  terrible  evil.  Mobs 
raged  in  the  city.  "  Fanatics  "  were  threatened  with  death 


UNCLE   TOM'S  CABIN.  57 

at  the  hands  of  the  aroused  thugs  and  bullys  who,  without 
any  particular  principle  in  the  matter,  welcomed  any  chance 
for  violence,  and  one  day  a  riotous  crowd  started  for  the 
Seminary,  which  was  situated  a  mile  or  two  out  of  town, 
with  the  purpose  of  burning  it  over  the  heads  of  the  Abo 
litionists,  whom  they  further  declared  they  would  string  to 
convenient  trees.  But  their  ardor,  which  rose  high  at  the 
prospect  of  congenial  entertainment,  flagged  perceptibly  in 
meeting  natural  obstacles  to  their  progress,  and  a  trudge  up 
the  long  hill,  which  was  knee  deep  with  mud,  was  too  much 
to  undertake,  even  for  the  anticipated  pleasure  of  mobbing 
the  Seminary.  They  therefore  subsided  and  turned  back 
to  town,  where  rioting  had  fewer  drawbacks.  The  excite 
ment  and  fury  which  came  to  the  surface  and  scum  of  soci 
ety  in  these  demonstrations  showed  how  deep  and  intense 
was  the  tide  of  feeling  underneath.  Dr.  Gamaliel  Bailey, 
"  a  wise,  temperate  and  just  man,  a  model  of  courtesy  in 
speech  and  writing,"  came  to  Cincinnati,  set  up  an  anti- 
slavery  paper  and  proposed  to  discuss  the  question  upon  a 
public  platform  in  the  city.  He  was  mobbed,  and  finally 
driven  from  the  place,  by  a  horde  of  Kentucky  slave-holders 
and  their  inflammable  sympathizers,  who  attacked  his 
office,  destroyed  his  printing  press,  and  threw  his  type  into 
the  Ohio  Eiver.  As  will  be  remembered,  he  went  to  Wash 
ington  and  afterwards  published  an  anti-slavery  paper 
called  the  National  Era,  in  which  subsequently  appeared 
Mrs.  Stowe's  first  great  work. 

The  Cincinnati  respectability,  in  church  and  state,  depre 
cated  this  disturbance,  and  severely  condemned  the  impru 
dence  of  Dr.  Bailey  in  thus  "arousing  the  passions  of  our 
fellow-citizens  of  Kentucky."  The  supreme  irony  of  the 


58  THE   LIFE   WORK   OF   THE    AUTHOR  OF 

situation  did  not  fail  to  be  appreciated  by  the  comparatively 
small  band  of  Abolitionists,  who  resided  in  the  vicinity. 
The  general  policy  of  the  social  aristocrats  was  the  same 
in  Cincinnati  years  ago  as  it  exists  everywhere  to-day.  Pro 
fessional  reformers  were  considered  "  bad  form  "  and  avoided 
as  nuisances.  The  Abolitionists  were  an  unfashionable  set 
and  few  in  number.  Like  all  who  uphold  the  principle  of 
abstract  right,  as  applied  to  human  affairs,  they  were  re 
garded  as  a  class  of  monomaniacs,  and  a  disturbing  element 
which  had  become  an  annoyance  to  society.  It  was  the 
general  impression,  even  among  those  who  felt  some  qualms 
of  conscience  as  to  the  justice  of  certain  phases  of  slavery, 
that  the  question  was  a  dark  labyrinth,  into  whose  mazes 
one  must  penetrate  at  extreme  peril.  It  appeared  to  be  so 
full  of  obscurity  and  tortuous  turnings,  difficulty  and  pain, 
and  so  utterly  beyond  human  adjustment  or  help,  that  it 
was  worse  than  useless  to  distress  one's  self  about  it. 

It  was  considered  a  subject  of  such  delicacy  that  the  people 
of  the  free  states,  who  thought  to  interfere,  were  branded 
as  meddlers  troubling  themselves  in  a  matter  in  which 
they  had  no  proper  concern,  the  management  of  which 
should  be  left  to  the  slave-holders. 

This  state  of  public  opinion  served  for  a  time  to  smother 
the  growing  indignation  of  those  who  saw  the  abuses  and 
inherent  dangers  of  the  system,  in  their  true  light.  But 
when  the  servants  of  good  families  were  pursued  to  the 
very  doors  of  their  employers  in  Ohio,  and  were  threatened, 
maltreated  and  frightfully  abused,  even  on  free  soil,  their 
feeling  against  slavery  deepened.  Eighteous  indignation 
at  the  outrages  which  followed  fast  upon  its  march, 
contempt  for  the  conservatism  of  society,  which  shut 


UNCLE   TOM'S  CABIN.  59 

its  eyes  to  the  evil,  because  it  had  not  the  moral  courage 
to  come  out  against  it,  rose  higher.  Pity  for  the  hunted 
beings  who  came  to  them  for  shelter,  and  the  almost 
forlorn  hope  that  somehow,  sometime,  this  all  might  be 
done  away  with,  grew,  intensified,  and  concentrated  in 
the  mind  of  Harriet  Beecher  Stowe,  although  she  as  yet 
felt  no  call  to  write.  The  fate  of  Lovejoy,  who  for  print 
ing  an  anti-slavery  paper  was  shot  at  his  own  door  in 
Alton,  Illinois ;  the  circulation  of  rumors  that  Edward 
Beecher,  known  to  be  associated  with  Lovejoy,  was  also 
killed  ;  the  persecution  of  young  John  G.  Fee,  a  Kentucky 
student  in  Lane  Seminary,  who  liberated  his  slaves  and 
undertook  to  advocate  emancipation  in  Kentucky  and  was 
in  consequence  disinherited  by  his  father  and  driven  from 
the  state ;  the  bravery  of  Salmon  P.  Chase,  who  dared  to 
appear  in  defense  of  a  man  who  was  imprisoned,  his  prop 
erty  attached,  his  life  threatened  with  utter  ruin  for  harboring 
runaway  slaves ;  and  hundreds  of  other  glaring  instances 
of  the  fury  of  the  people  who  upheld  slavery,  and  the 
courage  and  martyrdom  of  those  who  condemned  it,  are 
familiar  to  all  who  have  studied  this  political  epoch. 


CHAPTEE  III. 

PROFESSOR  STOWE  AND  HIS  FAMILY  LEAVE  CINCINNATI 
AND  RETURN  TO  BRUNSWICK,  MAINE.  THE  PERIOD  OF 
GREATEST  EXCITEMENT  OVER  THE  AMENDMENT  TO  THE 
FUGITIVE  SLAVE  LAW.  MRS.  STOWE'S  FEELING  THAT 
NEW  ENGLANDERS  IN  GENERAL,  NEEDED  AN  EXPOSITION 
OF  SLAVERY  AS  IT  PREVAILED  IN  SOCIAL  DETAIL.  HER 
INSPIRATION  FOR  HER  GREAT  WORK  RECEIVED  AT  THE 
COMMUNION  TABLE  IN  THE  LITTLE  CHURCH  AT  BRUNS 
WICK.  THE  DEATH  OF  UNCLE  TOM.  THE  FIRST  SCENE 
WRITTEN.  HER  DOMESTIC  SITUATION.  FAMILY  CARES 
AND  DELICATE  HEALTH.  HER  LITERARY  METHODS. 
THE  MORAL  COURAGE  IN  VIEW  OF  THE  SUFFERINGS  OF 
ABOLITIONISTS.  PUBLICATION  IN  WEEKLY  INSTALLMENTS 
IN  THE  NATIONAL  ERA. 

AFTER  a  residence  of  seventeen  years  in  Cincinnati,  as 
Professor  of  Biblical  Literature  at  Lane  Seminary,  Calvin 
E.  Stowe  resigned  the  chair  and  returned  to  New  England. 
He  was  influenced  in  this  change  by  ill  health,  finding  it 
impossible  to  longer  endure  the  rigors  of  the  climate  at 
Cincinnati.  He  immediately  received  the  appointment  of 
Divinity  Professor  at  Bowdoin  College  in  Brunswick, 
Maine. 

It  was  in  the  Fall  of  1850,  at  the  period  of  the  greatest 
excitement  over  the  act  of  September  18,  which  amended, 
and  to  a  considerable  extent  superceded,  the  less  effective 
60 


UNCLE   TOM'S  CABIN.  61 

Fugitive  Slave  Law.  This  measure,  to  which  Webster 
consented  in  his  celebrated  speech  of  the  7th  of  March,  was 
particularly  humiliating  to  the  North,  making  at  the  be 
hest  of  the  Southern  masters  a  slave  catcher  of  every  free 
man. 

This  Bill  not  only  made  it  a  penal  offense  to  aid  or  har 
bor  slaves  who  had  escaped  to  the  free  states,  but  enforced 
their  seizure,  demanding  under  severe  enactments  their  re 
turn  to  their  former  masters,  to  be  followed  by  a  life  of  bon 
dage  under,  if  possible,  increased  miseries.  While  at  Bruns 
wick,  Mrs.  Stowe  was  in  constant  communication  with  Dr. 
Edward  Beecher  and  his  wife  in  Boston,  who  wrote  her  from 
day  to  day  of  the  terror,  and  despair,  the  law  and  its  enforce 
ment,  had  occasioned  to  industrious,  worthy  colored  people, 
who  had  escaped  from  the  South  and  had  for  some  time 
lived  in  peace  and  security  in  that  city.  She  heard  of 
midnight  captures  ;  of  the  seizure  of  defenceless  women  on 
the  street,  or  while  going  about  their  household  duties ;  the 
abduction  of  little  children  at  play  or  on  their  way  to  or 
from  school ;  of  families  broken  up  and  fleeing  in  the  dead 
of  winter  to  the  ice-bound  shores  of  Canada.  And  what 
was  to  her  and  is  still  to  succeeding  generations,  inexplica 
ble  and  dreadful,  was  the  apathy  of  the  mass  of  the  usually 
right  minded,  just  and  conscientious  New  England  people, 
on  the  subject.  In  New  England,  as  at  the  West,  the 
Abolitionists  were  a  despised  band,  with  comparatively  few 
adherents,  and  subject  to  the  contempt  of  the  self-denomi 
nated  u  best  society." 

There  were  a  few  strong  voices  in  the  pulpit,  that  de 
nounced  the  institution,  but  to  her  excited  mind  the  church 
and  the  world  appeared  to  join  hands  against  the  oppressed. 


62  THE  LIFE   WOKK   OF   THE   AUTHOR   OF 

In  Oct.,  1887,  George  W.  Cable  gave  the  Congregational 
Club  of  New  York  City  a  talk  on  "  Cobwebs  in  the  Church." 
"  Speaking  as  a  Southerner,"  he  said,  "  I  do  believe  we  have 
to  thank  the  Protestant  Church  of  America  for  the  war 
that  drenched  our  land  in  blood,  for  it  fell  into  condoning  con 
ventional  sin  and  into  approval  of  a  national  crime." 

This  denunciation  is  doubtless  unjust  to  the  many  conscien 
tious  Christians  who  hesitated  not  upon  the  desirableness  of 
abolition,  but  were  sadly  troubled  to  know  how  to  bring  it 
about.  It  was  not  that  they  were  apathetic,  as  the  history  of 
the  church  militant  will  show,  but  only  that  seeing  all  sides 
of  the  controversy  they  appreciated  the  risks  incident  to  a 
violent  disregard  of  constitutional  law.  It  should  not  be 
forgotten  that  in  1818,  the  Presbyterian  General  Assembly 
passed  stringent  resolutions  against  slavery,  but  in  1837 
slavery  found  many  apologists  in  the  Southern  bodies  on 
account  of  commercial  influence.  As  is  well  known,  the 
institution  had  then  become  so  utterly  abhorrent  to  the 
Presbyterians  of  the  North,  particularly  in  New  York 
State,  there  was  a  division,  which  separated  the  Southern 
brethren  from  their  remonstrating  friends,  who  were  almost 
a  solid  body  in  the  North.  But  in  spite  of  the  earnest  ob 
jection  of  many  Christian  people,  the  nation  still  presented 
to  the  world  the  sorry  spectacle  of  a  Christian  republic  up 
holding  slavery. 

And  now  it  seemed  as  if  the  system,  heretofore  confined 
to  the  Southern  states,  was  gathering  itself  for  irruption 
into  new  fields,  preparing  to  extend  its  folds  all  over  the 
North  and  West,  and  overlap  and  choke  the  dearest  princi 
ples  of  free  society.  With  growing  astonishment  and  dis 
tress  Mrs.  Stowe  heard  on  all  sides,  from  humane  and  Chris- 


UNCLE   TOM'S  CABIN.  63 

tian  people,  that  slavery  was  a  constitutional  right,  and 
that  opposition  to  it  was  treason,  and  endangered  the  na 
tional  Union.  Under  this  conviction,  she  saw  many  earn 
est  and  tender-hearted  Christian  people  close  their  eyes, 
ears,  and  hearts  to  the  harrowing  details  of  its  practical 
workings,  silence  all  discussion  of  its  wrongs,  and  act  as  in 
duty  bound  to  assist  the  slave  owners  to  recover  their  prop 
erty.  She  felt  that  these  good  people  could  not  know  what 
slavery  was.  They  had  no  comprehension  of  the  thing 
they  were  tolerating. 

It  was  impossible  for  Harriet  Beecher  Stowe,  so  born,  so 
reared,  and  so  married,  not  to  have  been  opposed  to  slav 
ery.  With  her  family  and  friends,  like  Webster,  Sumner 
and  Emerson,  she  at  first  advocated  the  purchase  of  the 
slaves  and  gradual  emancipation,  but  the  encroachments  of 
the  slave  power  in  the  passage  of  the  Fugitive  Slave  Bill 
in  1850,  opened  her  eyes,  and  she  became  aggressive  in  her 
opposition.  Hers  was  not  alone  the  objection  of  the  emi 
nent  politicians,  whose  jurisprudence  controlled  their  feel 
ing,  that  slavery  was  detrimental  to  the  progress  of  the 
nation  ;  nor  that  of  the  great  transcendentalist,  who  based  his 
opposition  on  the  fact,  that  it  degraded  the  manhood  of  men. 

She  saw  the  question  in  its  various  relations  and  fully  com 
prehended  its  complex  aspects,  but  her  heart  was  greater 
than  her  head.  The  woes,  the  terror,  the  suffering  of  human 
beings,  roused  her  to  action  even  while  ulterior  reasoning 
seemed  to  counsel  patience.  It  was  not  that  she  failed  to 
comprehend  the  political  situation;  it  was  that  justice, 
pity,  and  righteous  indignation  rose  above,  and  made  them 
secondary.  She  had  an  innate  appreciation  of  how  far 
nobler  it  was  to  maintain  the  right  than  to  defer  to  unjust 


64  THE   LIFE   WORK   OF   THE   AUTHOR  OF 

established  laws.  She  placed  her  feet  npon  the  rock  which 
upheld  Epictetus  when  he  wrote,  "  It  is  better  by  agreeing 
with  truth  to  conquer  opinion,  than  by  agreeing  with 
opinion  to  conquer  truth,"  and  she  gave  Americans  the 
credit  of  assuming,  that  if  they  could  see  slavery  as  it 
existed  they  would  rise  for  its  extermination. 

Dr.  Gamelial  Bailey,  who  had  been  driven  from  Cincin 
nati  under  such  aggravating  circumstances  some  years 
before,  had  in  1847  established  a  journal,  "  The  National 
Era,"  at  Washington,  D.  C.,  which  became  one  of  the  lead 
ing  organs  of  the  anti-slavery  party.  He  was  a  man  of  lit 
erary  predilections  and  was  wise  enough  to  secure  for  his 
magazine  the  influence  of  the  best  writers.  He  had  asso 
ciated  with  himself  as  assistant  or  corresponding  editor, 
John  G.  Whittier,  a  young  man  who  had  served  his  ap 
prenticeship  in  the  poet's  corner  of  Garrison's  "Free  Press" 
in  Thayer's  Philadelphia  "Gazette"  and  as  editor  of  the 
"American  Manufacturer"  and  the  "Gazette"  of  Haverhill, 
Mass.  He  had  suffered  for  his  opinions  as  expressed  in  "  The 
Liberator"  and  spoken  in  ringing  in  tones  in  his  poems, 
which  are  properly  called  "Voices  of  Freedom,"  in  several 
Journals  and  at  all  needful  times.  In  the  first  volumes  of 
"The  National  Era"  may  be  found  many  of  his  grandest 
poems,  and  also  the  poems  of  the  Gary  sisters,  Lucy  Lar- 
com,  and  the  bright  and  witty  articles  of  Grace  Greenwood, 
whom  Dr.  Bailey  had  early  called  to  his  aid. 

In  perusing  this  magazine,  Mrs.  Stowe  noticed  the  inci 
dent  of  a  slave  woman  escaping  with  her  child  across  the 
floating  ice  of  the  river,  from  Kentucky  into  Ohio,  and  it 
became  the  first  salient  point  of  her  great  work  and  is  seen 
in  the  history  of  Eliza.  She  began  to  meditate  and  dream 


65 

over  a  possible  story  that  should  graphically  set  forth  the 
bare  ugliness,  and  repulsive  features  of  the  system  of  negro 
slavery.  The  black  husband  who  remained  in  Kentucky, 
going  back  and  forth  on  parole  and  remaining  in  bondage 
rather  than  forfeit  his  word  of  honor  to  his  master,  sug 
gested  the  character  of  Uncle  Tom.  Once  suggested,  the 
scenes  of  the  story  began  rapidly  to  form  in  her  mind,  and 
as  they  are  prone  to  do  in  the  practical  forces  of  energetic 
character,  emotions  and  impressions  instantly  crystalized 
into  ideas  and  opinions.  The  whole  wonderful  scheme  was 
defined,  before  the  author  of  "  Uncle  Tom's  Cabin  "  put  her 
pen  to  paper.  She  has  related  that  the  closing  scene,  the 
death  of  Uncle  Tom,  came  to  her  as  a  material  vision  while 
sitting  at  the  Communion  one  Sunday  in  the  little  church  at 
Brunswick.  She  was  perfectly  overcome  by  it,  and  could 
scarcely  restrain  the  violent  emotion  that  sprang  into  tears 
and  shook  her  frame.  She  was  carried  out  of  herself. 
t/  Aristotle  wrote,  "  No  great  genius  was  ever  without  some 
mixture  of  madness,  nor  can  anything  grand  or  superior  be 
spoken  except  by  the  agitated  soul."  It  was  the  fire  of 
outraged  feeling  which  inspired  this  memorable  work.  She 
hastened  home  and  wrote,  and,  her  husband  being  away, 
she  read  it  aloud  to  her  older  children.  Her  burn 
ing  sentences  so  touched  their  young  hearts  that  they 
wept  with  her,  and  cried  out  that  slavery  was  the  most 
accursed  thing  in  the  world.  Some  days  afterwards  Profes 
sor  Stowe,  having  returned,  was  passing  through  her  room, 
and  noticing  many  sheets  of  closely  written  paper  upon  his 
wife's  table,  he  took  them  up  and  began  to  read.  His  cas 
ual  curiosity  soon  merged  into  interest  and  deepened  into 
astonishment.  He  sought  his  wife  with  words  of  enthusi- 
5 


66  THE  LIFE  WORK   OF   THE   AUTHOR  OF 

astic  praise  and  said,  "  You  can  make  something  out  of 
this." 

"I  mean  to,"  was  the  quiet  reply  of  his  wife. 
From  this  time  on,  Harriet  Beecher  Stowe  was  possessed  by 
the  theme;  it  dominated  all  other  concerns,  and  held  her  a 
willing  captive  until  it  was  done.  She  said  to  the  writer 
a  year  or  two  before  her  death,  "  I  did  not  think  of  doing  a 
great  thing,  I  did  not  want  to  be  famous.  It  came  upon 
me  and  I  did  as  I  must,  perforce,  wrote  it  out,  but  I  was 
only  as  the  pen  in  the  hands  of  God.  "What  there  is  good 
and  powerful  in  it  came  from  Him.  I  was  merely  the  instru 
ment.  It  is  strange  that  He  should  have  chosen  me,  ham 
pered  and  bound  down  as  I  was  with  feeble  health  and 
family  cares.  But  I  had  to  do  it." 

A  glance  at  her  domestic  situation  may  give  an  idea  of 
what  it  was  to  undertake  the  writing  of  a  book  at  this^ 
time.  Mrs.  Stowe  was  the  mother  of  six  children,  the 
youngest  of  whom,  now  the  Eev.  Charles  E.  Stowe,  pastor 
of  the  Windsor  Avenue  Congregational  Church,  of  Hart 
ford,  Conn.,  was  then  a  babe  of  a  few  months.  He  was 
born  in  the  spring  of  1851,  and  it  was  during  the  following 
summer  and  fall  that  this  great  labor  was  performed.  Mrs. 
Stowe,  in  addition  to  her  own  little  flock,  had  a  number  of 
pupils  whom  she  had  taken  into  her  family,  and  her  father, 
the  Kev.  Lyman  Beecher,  had  come  on  from  Cincinnati, 
and  was  occupied  with  the  revision  and  publication  of  one 
of  his  books,  and  he  and  his  step-daughter,  Mrs.  Laura 
Dickinson,  who  acted  as  his  amanuensis,  became  members 
of  the  Stowe  household.  Catering  to  and  caring  for  the 
comfort  of  this  large  family,  which  comprised  more  than  a 
dozen  members,  of  all  ages,  from  the  venerable  Doctor  to- 


UNCLE   TOM'S  CABIN.  67 

his  tiny,  helpless  grandson,  would  seem  to  be  quite  enough 
for  one  frail  little  woman  to  do.  In  her  position  as  Pro 
fessor's  wife  there  were  also  various  duties  as  hostess  and 
entertainer  constantly  incumbent  upon  her,  but  she  was  not 
discouraged.  Her  vocation  was  upon  her  and  most  nobly 
she  assumed  it.  She  has  said,  "  I  knew  my  work  must  be 
done,  my  children  cared  for,  dinner  prepared  and  put  upon 
the  table  and  a  thousand  and  one  things  seen  to,  but 
this  was  always  uppermost  in  my  mind,  and  it  got  itself 
done,  somehow." 

Scenes,  incidents  and  conversations  rushed  upon  her  with 
such  vivid  clearness  and  strength  that  they  could  not  be 
denied.  During  her  varied  domestic  and  maternal  duties, 
the  idea  ran  on,  an  undercurrent  of  logical  argument  illus 
trated  with  suggestive  incidents,  and  she  could  hardly  wait 
to  get  at  her  pen  and  fix  it  upon  paper,  as  she  sat  with  her 
portfolio  on  her  knee  by  the  kitchen  fire,  in  the  moments 
snatched  from  her  domestic  duties. 

Harriet  Beecher  Stowe  had  none  of  the  dependence  upon 
small  accessories,  which  was  a  peculiarity  of  authors  as 
great  as  Wordsworth,  who  when  writing,  habitually  fingered 
the  button  of  his  coat ;  Ben  Johnson,  who  inhaled  clouds 
of  his  beloved  snuff,  and  Schiller,  who  could  not  get  inspira 
tion  without  the  aroma  of  half-decayed  apples  which  he 
kept  in  the  drawer  of  his  desk,  to  the  discomfiture  of  his 
friend  Goethe,  who  was  made  extremely  ill  when  once  at 
tempting  to  write  thereon. 

Her  theme  was  sufficient  stimulus,  and  no  particular  con 
ditions  were  necessary  to  the  easy  working  of  her  mind. 
A  friend  who  had  an  intimate  knowledge  of  her  literary 
methods  recently  said  to  the  writer  concerning  the  author 


68  THE   LIFE   WORK   OF   THE   AUTHOR   OF 

of  Uncle  Tom's  Cabin .  "  When  the  inspiration  came  and 
she  was  in  the  midst  of  a  thrilling  or  pathetic  scene,  she 
sat  with  her  MSS.  on  her  knee  and  wrote,  no  matter  what 
were  the  distractions."  This  power  of  self-withdrawal  is  a 
rare  gift  even  among  the  greatest  of  novelists.  Silence 
comfort,  and  seclusion  are  the  indispensable  conditions  for 
most  writers.  As  Lowell  says : 

"  Thy  work  unfinished,  bolt  and  bar  thy  door ; 
Where  they  see  two  the  sky-gods  come  no  more." 

"The  book,"  as  Professor  Stowe  once  said,  "was  written 
in  sorrow,  in  sadness,  and  obscurity,  with  no  expectation 
of  reward  save  in  the  prayers  of  the  poor,  and  with  a  heart 
almost  broken  in  view  of  the  sufferings  which  it  describes 
and  the  still  greater  suffering  which  it  dared  not  describe.'' 

When  two  or  three  chapters  were  written,  Mrs.  Stowe 
sent  a  letter  to  Dr.  Bailey  of  the  National  Era,  telling  him 
she  had  projected  a  story  which  might  run  through  several 
numbers  of  the  paper  and  offering  it  to  him  if  he  desired 
it.  He  instantly  applied  for  it  and  the  weekly  installments 
were  started.  The  story,  and  her  duty  on  this  subject  were 
so  much  more  real  and  imperative  to  her  than  any  other 
things  in  life,  that  the  copy  was  always  ready  for  the  type 
setters.  In  shaping  her  material  Mrs.  Stowe  had  but  one 
object;  to  show  the  system  of  slavery  as  it  existed.  No 
idea  of  sensational  success  would  permit  her  to  exaggerate 
or  pervert  facts.  She  had,  however,  the  tact  to  perceive 
that  its  presentation  in  unrelieved  gloom  of  sadness,  would 
not  command  readers.  She  therefore  summoned  all  her  ex 
perience  of  the  wit  and  drollery  of  the  African  race,  at  the 
same  time  developing  a  sincere  desire  to  show  that  the  evils 
of  slavery  were  the  natural  outgrowth  of  a  bad  system 


UNCLE    TOM'S   CABIN.  69 

which  retaliated  upon  its  victims,  and  its  administrators 
many  of  whom  were  not  to  blame,  with  almost  equally  bale 
ful  force. 

Mrs.  Stowe  knew  what  she  was  braving.  Public  opin 
ion  had  long  before  made  itself  unpleasantly  emphatic 
in  personal  attacks  on  the  persons  of  women  who  had  the 
temerity  to  harbor  anti-slavery  views.  Almost  twenty 
years  before,  the  distinguished  Englishwoman,  Harriet 
Marti neau  who  had  committed  herself  to  anti-slavery  prin 
ciples  in  her  book  "Demerara,"  and,  against  her  wishes 
found  herself  forced  by  circumstances  to  avow  her  settled 
aversion  to  it  during  the  early  part  of  her  visit  in  Boston, 
became  subject  not  only  to  annoyance  and  insult,  in 
free,  Puritan  New  England,  on  this  account,  but  had  been 
the  object  of  obscene  abuse  in  newspapers  and  pamphlets. 
Mrs.  Stowe  knew  that  Miss  Martineau's  expressed  desire  to 
view  the  institution  of  slavery  as  it  existed  in  the  United 
States  had  aroused  such  feeling  against  her,  that  traveling 
became  a  peril,  and  her  entertainers  in  various  cities  were 
jeopardized  by  her  presence.  In  the  ferment  in  which  so 
ciety  was  then  working,  she  ran  the  risk  of  personal  violence 
and  endured  a  large  share  of  the  virulent  abuse  which 
everywhere  fell  upon  the  Abolitionists.  Mrs.  Stowe  knew 
of  the  public  hatred  of  this  Englishwoman  who  had  dared 
to  say,  in  recounting  her  experience  in  this  country,  "I  was 
not  then  aware  of  the  extent  to  which  all  but  virtuous  rela 
tions  are  found  possible  between  the  whites  and  blacks,  nor 
how  unions,  to  which  the  religious  and  civil  sanctions  of 
marriage  are  alone  wanting,  take  place  wherever  there  are 
masters  and  slaves,  throughout  the  country.  "When  I  did 


70  THE   LIFE   WORK   OF   THE   AUTHOR   OF 

become  aware  of  this  I  always  knew  how  to  stop  the  hypo 
critical  talk  against  '  amalgamation.'  " 

Americans  would  not  stand  this  sort  of  meddling  in  their 
political  and  social  affairs,  and  when  displeased  they  had 
proved  they  knew  well  how  to  punish  the  offender.  The 
fact  that  an  Abolitionist  was  a  woman,  did  not  protect  her 
from  the  fury  of  the  chivalric  southerners  and  their  north 
ern  sympathizers.  Letters  threatening  to  "cut  out  her 
tongue  and  cast  it  on  a  dung  hill,"  to  hang  her,  and  to  com 
mit  her  to  imprisonment  and  disgrace,  assailed  Miss  Mar- 
tineau.  Abuse  of  her  ran  through  almost  every  paper  in 
the  Union,  and  a  certain  sheet  of  New  York,  published  an 
article  so  filthy  that  it  will  not  bear  mention.  She  was  rep 
resented  as  a  hired  agent,  and  floggings,  tar  and  feathers,  and 
other  receptions  then  popular  in  the  hospitable  South,  were 
promised  her.  On  more  than  one  occasion  she  found  her 
self  surrounded  by  an  infuriated  mob. 

Maria  Weston  Chapman  had  also  been  subject  to  similar 
outrageous  treatment  on  account  of  her  expression  of  anti- 
slavery  opinions. 

Mrs.  Follen  was  another  social  martyr  to  the  cause. 

The  brave,  sweet,  gentle  Quakeress,  Lucretia  Mott,  had 
at  this  same  period  addressed  a  meeting  of  anti-slavery 
women,  with  the  house  surrounded  by  rioters,  and  brick 
bats  frequently  crashing  through  the  windows.  She  bad 
walked  the  streets  of  Boston  threatened  with  instant  death, 
pressed  upon  and  jostled  by  a  crowd  of  howling  ruffians, 
and  preserved  her  gentle  dignity  even  amid  a  shower  of 
eggs  and  other  offensive  missiles. 

Many  of  the  eminent  scholars  and  thinkers  of  the  country, 
though  occupying  a  position  which  made  violence  impos- 


UNCLE   TOM'S   CABIX.  71 

sible,  had  revealed  themselves  no  less  clearly  upon  the 
question.  As  a  class,  the  literati  of  Boston  and  Cambridge 
sneered  at  the  controversy  as  "  low,"  and  too  utterly  repug 
nant  to  fine  feeling  to  be  touched  upon  by  cultured  persons. 
"  Edward  Everett,  the  man  of  letters  par  excellence,"  says 
Harriet  Martineau,  was  "  burning  incense  to  the  South,  in 
sulting  the  Abolitionists  because  they  were  few  and  weak." 
Boston  had  seen  Garrison  flying  through  the  streets  in  im 
minent  peril  of  the  hot  tar  barrel  that  was  making  ready 
for  him.  The  controversy  had  branded  Wendell  Phillips 
and  Theodore  D.  Weld  as  fanatics ;  it  had  aroused  the 
whole  country  and  "  put  Boston  in  an  uproar,"  and  now  this 
brave  woman  under  the  stress  of  indignation  and  righteous 
feeling  at  the  probable  extension  of  slavery,  was  about  to 
throw  herself  into  the  breach,  with  the  prospect  that  her 
small  personality  might  in  consequence,  forever  sink  in 
ignominy  and  public  scorn. 

While  it  is  true  that  names  that  now  are  honored,  such 
as  Garrison,  Whittier,  Phillips,  Emerson,  Gerret  Smith, 
Edmund  Quincy,  Theodore  Parker,  Sumner,  Baird,  Lucy 
Stone  and  Sallie  Holley,  were  enrolled  as  Abolitionists,  the 
solid  phalanx  of  society  in  Boston,  (with  but  few  excep 
tions)  the  bench,  the  bar,  the  clergy,  merchants,  bankers,, 
politicians  and  the  "  best  citizens  "  generally,  felt  the  utmost 
scorn  and  detestation  for  these  advocates  of  philanthrophy 
and  justice.  No  one  of  the  present  generation  can  have  a 
realization  of  the  manifestations  of  contempt  which  every 
where  met  the  Free-Soilers  and  Abolitionists.  Tn  the  words 
of  an  observer,  "Phillip's  oratory  and  Whittier's  poetry 
were  mere  whispers  against  a  hurricane."  It  was  a  curious 
fact,  though  one  not  unparalleled  in  the  history  of  reforms, 


72  THE   LIFE  WORK   OF   THE    AUTHOR   OF 

that  the  people  who  raised  their  voices  against  a  tolerated 
wrong  became  the  objects  of  the  hate  and  derision  of  the 
community.  At  this  epoch  it  really  appeared  to  many 
easy-going  good  people  of  the  country  that  Abolitionism, 
and  not  slavery,  Avas  the  sum  of  all  villainies. 

But  all  these  considerations  weighed  as  nothing,  before 
Mrs.  Stowe's  sense  of  justice  and  her  calm  intention  to  uphold 
the  right  at  any  peril.  She  had  never  considered  expedi 
ency  as  distinguished  from  justice,  and  the  fact  that  society 
now  gave  it  the  preference,  was  no  concern  of  hers.  Her 
husband  nobly  upheld  her,  and  the  story  went  on,  and 
speedily  began  to  be  heard  from.  The  little  woman,  wife 
of  Professor  Stowe  in  the  plain  house  up  at  Brunswick, 
performed  her  household  duties,  nursed  her  baby,  trained 
her  inefficient  servants,  taught  her  scholars,  ministered  to 
her  husband,  entered  into  his  life's  work  with  an  intelligent 
sympathy  and  appreciation  which  were  a  rare  inspiration 
to  him,  and  wrote  the  weekly  installments  of  what  in  spite 
of  all  critical  and  literary  estimates,  stands  to-day  as  the 
greatest  American  novel. 

It  seems  from  all  personal  testimony  to  have  been 
an  inspiration,  the  action  of  a  mind  of  which  complete 
possession  has  been  taken  by  internal  influences.  The 
theme  held  her  as  the  ancient  mariner  held  the  wed- 
ding  guest.  She  however,  reinforced  her  writing  by 
facts  from  various  sources  outside  of  her  own  exper 
ience,  visited  Boston,  went  to  the  anti -slavery  rooms,  culled 
from  Theodore  D.  Weld's  "  Slavery  As  It  Is,"  and  the  lives 
of  Josiah  Ilenson  and  Lewis  Clark,  circumstances  of  both 
of  whose  experiences  are  interwoven  in  the  characters  of 
Uncle  Tom  and  George  Harris. 


73 

Goethe  says  that  "  a  great  poet  must  be  a  citizen  of  his 
age  as  well  as  of  his  country."  The  power  which  was  inher 
ited  from  the  father  of  the  Beecher  family  and  has  always 
been  observed  in  his  children,  of  discovering  and  espousing 
the  best  interests  of  the  hour,  made  Mrs.  Stowe  especially 
fortunate  in  the  period  of  this  writing.  The  first  wave  of 
furious  resistance  to  the  idea  of  abolition  had  subsided,  and 
now  that  the  waters  were  swiftly  receding  and  gathering 
for  greater  strength  to  engulf  the  commonwealth,  she  threw 
her  work  upon  the  incoming  tide,  and  by  its  force  it  was 
cast  upon  solid  ground,  where  it  rested  as  firm  and  incon 
testable  as  the  rocks  themselves.  The  tale  which  the 
writer  thought  would  run  through  a  few  numbers,  contin 
ued  on  through  months,  and  as  scene  after  scene  unfolded, 
and  the  picture,  dark  and  flashing  with  lurid  light 
unrolled,  messages,  and  letters  came  from  the  little  band 
of  sympathizers  who  read  the  paper,  and  rumors  began  to 
get  abroad  that  a  strange  and  powerful  story  was  coming 
out,  and  the  subscription  to  the  Era  was  largely  increased 
•thereby. 

While  "  Uncle  Tom's  Cabin  "  was  in  course  of  publica 
tion  in  the  Era  Mrs.  Stowe  proposed  its  publication  in 
book  form,  to  Messrs.  Phillips  and  Sampson  of  Boston. 
They  respectfully  declined  the  proposition,  but  about  that 
time  a  young  Boston  publisher,  Mr.  John  P.  Jewett,  recog 
nizing  its  strength  and  possible  future  as  a  bone  of  conten 
tion,  made  overtures  to  her  for  its  publication.  He 
remarked  to  Prof.  Stowe  that  in  his  opinion  it  would  bring 
his  wife  "  something  handsome."  Upon  hearing  this  Mrs. 
Stowe  replied,  with  a  twinkle  in  her  eyes,  she  hoped  it 
would  bring  her  enough  to  purchase  what  she  had  not  had  for 


74  THE   LIFE  WORK   OF  THE   AUTHOR   OF 

a  long  time,  a  new  silk  dress.  Mr.  Jewett  reminded  her  that 
it  was  an  unpopular  subject,  and  while  a  small  volume  might 
sell,  he  should  not  feel  warranted  in  bringing  out  a  large 
work.  Mrs.  Stowe  tersely  answered  that  he  must  act  his 
own  judgment  in  the  matter,  that  she  could  not  abridge  or 
curtail  her  work.  That  the  story  made  itself  and  when  it 
was  finished,  she  would  stop. 

In  view  of  the  impression  made  by  this  book  and  the 
resultant  popularity  which  crowned  its  author  as  the  most 
honorably  famous  American  woman,  it  will  be  well  to 
examine  "Uncle  Tom's  Cabin"  with  the  reader,  and  if  pos 
sible,  place  ourselves  back  thirty-seven  years,  and  try  to 
realize  what  the  message  was  to  that  age,  and  thus  appre 
ciate  its  courage  and  persuasive  force  in  relation  to  pub 
lic  opinion. 

"  Uncle  Tom's  Cabin  "  was  not  written  like  any  other 
successful  story  that  the  world  ever  saw  ;  it  had  no  re- writ 
ing,  scarcely  a  revision ;  it  was  dashed  off  at  white  heat, 
and  sent  forthwith  to  the  printer.  No  wonder  that  its 
unities  were  not  perfectly  preserved.  Rather,  is  it  not  a 
marvel  that  it  came  forth  free  from  the  little  slips  and  over 
sights,  which  the  greatest  novelists  have  had  to  confess  ?  As 
for  instance  when  Thackeray  having  killed  off  a  character  in 
one  number  of  his  serial  publication  of  a  novel,  unconcern 
edly  continued  his  conversation  in  the  next,  and  under 
similar  conditions  Mr.  Hardy  after  bringing  a  person  to  the 
summit  of  a  hill,  in  the  next  installment  of  the  story 
incontinently  started  him  up  again. 

Let  us  take  it  for  granted  that  every  reader,  certainly 
every  American  reader,  has  read  "  Uncle  Tom's  Cabin " 
and  only  ask  that  he  will  go  again  cursorily  over  its  pages 


UNCLE   TOM'S  CABIN.  75 

with  us.  Let  us  notice  bow  the  characters,  waiting  for  no 
introduction  or  explanation,  enter  upon  the  stage  and  by  their 
words  explain  themselves  as  no  description  could  do. 
Within  ten  lines  the  attention  is  arrested,  opinion  chal 
lenged,  and  the  tolerated  usages  of  the  slave  trade  vividly 
portrayed  and  held  up  to  the  broad  light  of  common  sense 
and  decency. 

Haley,  the  type  and  epitome  of  all  slave  traders,  earns 
hearty  detestation  in  his  earliest  remarks.  He  is  instantly 
seen  to  be  a  man  whose  flesh  has  hardened  to  leather  under 
the  unnatural  circulation  of  the  salts  of  cruelty  and  avarice 
through  his  veins,  a  man  alive  to  nothing  but  trade  and 
profit,  cool  and  unhesitating  and  unrelenting  as  the  grave, 
who  would  have  sold  his  own  mother  at  a  percentage. 

Mr.  Shelby  appears  a  refined  and  merciful  man,  one  of 
the  slave  owners  who  were  born  to  the  system  and  who 
suffered  from  its  moral  workings  in  degree,  as  did  his  un 
conscious  chattels,  who  lived  under  an  uneasy  dread  of 
things  that  were  permitted  by  it,  though  not  inflicted  by 
him.  A  picture  is  drawn  of  the  fairest  side  of  slave-hold 
ing  as  it  existed  in  Kentucky  and  had  been  witnessed  by  the 
author.  The  good-humored  indulgence  of  some  masters 
and  mistresses,  of  which  the  Shelbys  stand  the  personified 
embodiment,  with  yet  the  awful  contingencies  which  con 
stantly  waited  upon  pecuniary  embarrassment  or  the  death 
of  the  owner,  are  shown  in  all  the  fairness  of  the  writer's 
honesty  and  the  cruel  ghastliness  of  truth.  The  brooding, 
portentous  shadow  of  a  law  which  regarded  all  these 
human  beings  with  beating  hearts  and  loving  affections  as 
so  many  heads  of  plantation  stock  belonging  to  their  mas- 


76  THE  LIFE   WORK   OF   THE   AUTHOR   OF 

ter,  is  seen  darkly  hanging  over  what  had  been  so  often 
falsely  defended,  as  "  a  patriarchal  institution." 

The  conversation  of  the  two  men,  so  full  of  highly 
charged  meaning,  gives  in  few  words,  a  strong  outline  of 
the  thing  the  author  means  to  attack. 

The  irruption  of  bright-eyed,  glossy-haired  little  Jim 
Crow,  his  childish  antics  and  amusing  imitations  of 
various  plantation  characters;  the  entrance  of  his  mother, 
the  beautiful  yellow  girl,  Eliza,  who  is  looking  for  the 
child,  the  trader's  offer  to  buy  the  lad,  overheard  by  the 
mother,  and  her  distress  and  appeal  to  her  mistress,  rapidly 
lead  the  reader  into  the  intense  story  and  fasten  the  interest, 
which  never  flags  to  the  end. 

The  character  of  George  Harris,  Eliza's  husband,  a  bright, 
talented  mulatto  "  boy,"  who  was  a  valued  hand  upon  a 
neighboring  plantation,  has  become  an  overseer  in  a  bag 
ging  factory,  and  subsequently  invented  a  machine  for  the 
cleaning  of  the  hemp,  is  like  most  of  the  other  characters, 
drawn  from  life  and  facts,  and,  it  is  needless  to  say,  was  a 
revelation  to  northern  readers,  unaccustomed  to  regard 
negro  slaves  as  having  souls  and  minds  and  intellectual 
faculties  worthy  of  respect.  The  original  of  the  character 
was  an  ex-slave,  who  for  six  years  was  an  inmate  of  the 
house  of  a  family  connection  of  the  author,  Deacon  Safford, 
of  Cambridgeport,  Massachusetts.  He  ran  away  from  his 
masters  in  1840. 

The  exhibition  of  the  jealousy  of  the  master  which 
induces  him  to  degrade  George  to  the  most  menial  farm 
work,  embittering  his  life,  arousing  deep  and  ineradicable 
hatred  for  the  man  and  the  institution  which  made  such 
injustice  possible,  quickly  follows,  and  the  strange  tale 


UNCLE   TOM'S  CABIN.  77 

takes  deeper  significance  in  every  line.  The  flight  of 
George  inevitably  ensues  upon  this  unbearable  treatment. 

Mrs.  Shelby  is  moved  by  her  own  religious  convictions, 
her  uneasiness  as  to  the  right  of  slave-holding  and  her 
sympathy  with  Eliza,  to  remonstrate  with  her  husband, 
and  their  conversation  brings  out  in  strong  effect  the  cir 
cumstances  which  may  occur  to  all  slave-holders,  enforcing 
the  sale  of  their  people.  In  making  this  point  the  author 
dealt  a  heavy  blow  at  the  stronghold  of  the  system,  and 
powerfully  refuted  the  assertions  of  Southerners,  that  things- 
had  been  exaggerated  by  abolition  fanatics. 

The  fact  that  a  slave  could  not  be  married — that  the 
most  sacred  of  all  ties,  even  though  solemnized  by  a  cler 
gyman  and  witnessed  by  master,  mistress  and  friends, 
might  be  ruptured  any  day  at  the  whim  of  the  owner,  the 
husband  forced  to  take  another  mate  or  live  in  bestial 
polygamy,  the  wife  given  to  any  man  her  owner  selected, 
or  reduced  to  a  life  of  shame  as  the  mistress  of  any  uxor 
ious  white  man  who  chose  to  buy  her — is  developed  with 
power,  and  the  world  began  to  see  slavery  as  it  was  in 
social  detail. 

Palpable  truth  waits  on  all  the  author's  situations  and 
common  sense  proved  her  standpoint  to  be  the  right  one. 

In  chapter  four  we  are  introduced  to  Uncle  Tom's  cabin, 
and  receive  a  bright  picture  of  it,  overrun  with  scarlet 
bigonia  and  a  native  multiflora  rose,  entwisting  and  inter 
lacing  until  scarcely  a  vestige  of  the  rough  logs  was  to  be 
seen. 

Here  is  Aunt  Chloe,  the  reigning  queen  of  the  culinary 
department  of  "the  house,"  as  the  master's  dwelling  was 
called.  Poor,  faithful,  kind,  sensitive,  brave  Aunt  Chloe, 


78  THE   LIFE   WORK    OF   THE    AUTHOR    OF 

with  her  "round,  black,  shining  face,  which  suggested  that 
it  might  have  been  washed  over  with  the  white  of  eggs 
like  one  of  her  own  tea  rusks." 

Here  too  is  Uncle  Tom,  Mr.  Shelby's  best  hand,  large, 
broad-chested,  powerfully  made,  with  a  full,  glossy,  black 
face,  in  whose  truly  African  features,  shine  grave  happi 
ness  and  steady  common  sense,  combined  with  an  air  of 
benevolence,  self  respect  and  dignity,  which  characterizes 
all  that  he  says  and  does.  His  earnest  attempts  to  learn 
to  read  and  write  under  the  tuition  of  young  master  George 
Shelby ;  the  sympathetic  interest  of  Aunt  Chloe  in  the 
matter  of  education,  which  was  quite  foreign  to  her  useful 
lore ;  the  rollicking  of  the  children  on  the  floor  and  their 
subsequent  sitting  down  to  a  feast  of  Aunt  Chloe's  deli 
cious  batter  cakes,  fills  out  the  picture  of  planta 
tion  life  which  comes  upon  the  canvas.  A  dark  and  sor 
rowful  picture  it  is,  but  illumined  with  high  lights  and 
bits  of  warm  color  which  give  it  a  richness,  a  brilliancy, 
evolved  from  startling  contrasts  which  takes  the  senses  by 
storm,  and  carries  feeling  captive. 

The  chapter  ends  with  a  graphic  delineation  of  a  relig 
ious  meeting  of  the  plantation  negroes — a  scene  then  new 
and  strange  to  readers  who  had  no  knowledge  of  Southern 
life,  but  which  has  since  become  so  familiar  through  the 
scattering  of  the  freed  slaves  over  the  country  and  the 
dramatic  representations  of  this  peculiar  phase  of  religious 
manifestation.  It  has  however,  never  been  equalled  in 
verbal  description,  especially  in  the  tender  respect  with 
which  the  author  illustrates  the  force  and  effect  of  Uncle 
Tom's  prayers. 

"While  the  meeting  is  going  on  in  the  cabin,  Uncle  Tom 


UNCLE   TOM'S  CABIN.  79 

is  sold  to  Haley,  the  slave  trader,  to  enable  Mr.  Shelby  to 
pay  his  debts! 

Eliza,  finding  that  her  child  has  also  been  sold,  resolves 
to  fly,  and  if  possible,  reach  Canada.  She  makes  ready  at 
night  and  appears  at  the  door  of  Uncle  Tom's  cabin,  to  bid 
them  farewell.  The  dramatic  situation — the  black  man 
with  the  candle,  A,unt  Chloe  stricken  with  sympathy 
and  terror  at  her  own  misfortune,  Eliza,  clasping  her  sleep 
ing  boy  to  her  breast,  wildly  saying  her  few  words  of  adieu 
and  hastening  away  into  the  darkness — is  familiar  to  the 
whole  reading  world.  The  flight  of  Eliza  with  her  child 
has  become  a  classic  in  every  country  of  this  round  earth. 
Who  shall  describe  it  better  or  more  tersely  than  the 
author's  burning  words,  every  sentence  of  which  quivers 
with  high  wrought  sensibility?  Millions  of  readers  have 
followed  the  slave  girl  fleeing  with  her  babe,  tens  of  thou 
sands  of  play-goers,  have  felt  their  heart  beats  lessen  in 
painful  suspense  as  her  shivering  form  has  been  seen  flying 
across  the  treacherous  cakes  of  floating  ice  which  covered  the 
river  between  her  and  freedom,  and  have  burst  into  tumul 
tuous  applause  and  weeping,  as  with  one  last  frenzied  leap 
she  has  reached  the  shore  and  thanked  God  for  safety ! 


CHAPTER  IV. 

CONTINUATION  OF  THE  OUTLINE  OF  "  UNCLE  TOM'S  CABIN." 
SLAVE  LIFE  IN  NEW  ORLEANS.  UNCLE  TOM  THE  COACH- 
s  MAN  AND  STEWARD  OF  THE  ST.  CLARE  ESTABLISHMENT. 
HIS  GUARDIANSHIP  OF  LITTLE  EVA.  THE  DEATH  OF  THE. 
SAINTED  CHILD.  THE  CHARACTERS  WHICH  ARE  FAMOUS. 
THE  BREAKING  UP  OF  THE  HOUSEHOLD.  TOM  IS  PLACED 
UPON  THE  BLOCK  AND  SOLD  TO  SIMON  LEGREE.  SCENES 
UPON  A  RED  RIVER  PLANTATION.  THE  DEATH  OF  UNCLE 
TOM.  HIS  EXPERIENCE  AN  EPITOMIZATION  OF  EVERY 


STORY   WITHOUT   A   LOVER.      IS   IT   A    NOVEL? 

WITH  fine  understanding  of  the  limitations  of  the  reader^ 
sensibilities,  the  author  perceived  that  too  long  a  tension  of 
outraged  feeling  would  be  wearisome.  She  therefore  pre 
sented  counter  situations,  which  appeal  all  the  more  acutely 
to  the  feelings,  by  contrast  with  what  is  in  the  background. 
In  the  chapter  descriptive  of  the  excitement  on  the  Shelby 
plantation  when  it  is  discovered  that  Eliza  has  fled,  the 
wrath  of  the  slave  trader,  the  secret  gladness  of  Mrs. 
Shelby,  and  the  unproductive  preparations  for  catching  the 
runaway  girl,  are  most  entertainingly  depicted. 

The  clownish  hatred  of  Sam  for  the  trader,  his  irrelevant 
and  confusing  suggestions  as  to  the  means  of  Eliza's  cap 
ture,  his  simulated  wild  anxiety  to  make  ready  the  horses, 
which  results  in  detention,  and  confusion  thrice  confounded 
80 


UNCLE   TOM'S  CABIN.  81 

are  described  with  great  humor.  The  throwing  of  Mr.  Haley 
over  the  head  of  the  spirited  mare  whom  Sam  had  alarmed 
by  his  twitchings  and  shoutings  and  irritated  almost  to 
madness  by  placing  a  sharp  beech  nut  under  her  saddle ; 
the  escape  of  the  horses  into  the  grounds;  the  hurrying  and 
scurrying  here  and  there;  the  snorting  of  the  horses  who 
fail  to  comprehend  the  method  in  Sam's  madness;  the 
barking  of  the  dogs  who  partake  of  the  excitement;  the 
impotent  rage  of  the  trader  and  the  vociferous  joy  of  the 
pickaninnies,  who  scream,  giggle,  run  and  roll  over  each 
other  upon  the  earth;  is  all  given  with  such  rare  wit  and 
picturesqueness  that  one  must  perforce,  lay  back  and 
indulge  in  a  hearty  ha-ha,  with  tears  of  amusement  wetting 
the  eye-lids  which  lately  had  been  weighed  with  heavy 
drops  of  bitter  sympathy. 

Eliza's  refuge  with  the  good  Ohio  people,  and  her  safe 
-arrival  on  the  Canadian  shores,  is  a  satisfactory  outcome  of 
her  terrific  experience.  The  dilemma,  and  generous  action 
of  the  good  man,  the  Senator,  who  theorizes  that  the  law 
should  be  obeyed,  but  acts  upon  the  feeling  that  this 
woman  needs  help,  is  a  reproduction  of  the  triumph  of  the 
heart  over  the  head,  which  had  been  the  frequent  experi 
ence  of  the  Beecher  family  at  Walnut  Hill. 

In  the  meantime  Aunt  Chloe  at  home  in  the  little  cabin, 
irons  Uncle  Tom's  shirts,  moistening  them  with  her  fast 
falling  tears.  She  packs  his  clothes  neatly,  after  putting  all 
in  order,  the  sad  farewell  is  taken,  and  Tom  goes  away  with 
the  trader  towards  the  Mississippi  Eiver.  The  description 
of  the  dismal  ride,  which  is  pleasantly  interrupted  by  the 
arrival  of  George  Shelby,  who  has  ridden  after  them  to  bid 
his  dear  old  servant  good-bye,  and  the  attitude  of  Mr. 
6 


82  THE  LIFE   WOKK   OF   THE   AUTHOR   OF 

Haley  towards  his  "  property,"  is  drawn  with  masterly 
strokes. 

Where  had  Harriet  Beecher  Stowe,  the  daughter  of  a 
New  England  divine,  reared  in  the  innocence  of  life  upon 
the  breezy  Litchfield  hills,  shielded  by  gallant  whole- 
souled  fellows  who  would  not  that  their  sister  should  know 
of  the  low  possibilities  of  men,  united  to  a  learned  professor 
of  theology,  and  associated  with  masculine  friends  of  noble 
character,  refinement  and  cultivation,  learned  how  to  depict 
the  scene  that  follows  ?  Where  had  she  been  that  she  could 
so  graphically  describe  the  aspect,  actions  and  conversation 
of  a  company  of  coarse  men  in  a  bar-room  ?  The  scene 
in  chapter  eleven,  where  George  Harris  appears  as  a  gentle 
man  accompanied  by  his  servant,  is  drawn  as  if  from  sight. 
Could  it  have  been  so  accurately  described  from  hearsay, 
the  very  spirit  and  flavor  of  the  atmosphere  permeating  it? 
It  was  an  inspiration,  a  psychological  insight,  which 
amounted  to  clairvoyance.  And  how  the  effects  of  "  the 
system  "  stand  forth  as  reflected  upon  these  white  men  who 
were  the  administrators  of  it ! 

Then  comes  the  sale.  The  scene  in  the  slave  market 
aroused  thousands  to  vehement  indignation  and  doubtless 
did  more  to  liberate  the  American  slaves  than  any  other 
effort  put  forth  by  the  talented  and  eloquent  band  of  aboli 
tionists  in  this  country.  Eead  it,  Americans !  Read  it 
again,  and  thank  Heaven  that  this  blot  is  removed  from 
the  face  of  our  fair  land. 

See  again,  the  half  blind,  lame  old  woman,  who  is  not 
salable,  torn  from  her  youngest  son,  a  lad  of  fourteen,  upon 
whom  she  hoped  to  lean  in  her  decrepit  old  age.  Hear  her 
groans  and  piteous  pleadings  to  be  bought  too ! 


UNCLE   TOM'S  CABIN.  83 

See  "the  article  enumerated  as  John,  aged  thirty,"  whose 
face  quivers  an  instant  as  he  tells  Uncle  Tom  he  has  a  wife 
who  knows  nothing  of  his  departure  from  her. 

See  the  black  mother,  who  finds  herself  with  her  nursing 
child  on  the  boat  going  "down  river,"  when  she  hears 
that,  instead  of  going  to  Louisville  as  a  cook  at  hire,  she 
has  been  sold,  and  forever  separated  from  her  husband.  See 
her,  when  she  awakes  from  a  fitful  sleep  to  find  that  her 
baby  boy,  a  pretty  fellow  of  ten  months,  has  been  taken 
from  her  arms  and  sold  to  a  trader  who  chanced  to  fancy 
him  !  See  her,  as  she  hurries  to  the  side  of  the  boat  when 
all  is  still  at  midnight,  and  leaps  into  the  dark  water  and 
buries  her  troubles  in  death. 

Who  can  read  it  calmly,  even  to-day  when  it  is  all  past? 
Think  what  it  must  have  been  at  the  time  when  society 
was  torn  by  conflicting  opinions  and  the  government  had 
just  decided  to  uphold  the  system,  upon  constitutional 
grounds.  ]jWhen  the  law  sanctioned  the  invading  of  free 
states  to  reclaim  "property,"  and  leases  were  written  to  run 
ninety-nine  years,  which  transferred  slaves  into  the  holdings 
of  proprietors  over  the  lines,  thus  carrying  slavery  into  free 


We  must  not  forget  what  a  tremendous  force  and 
solidity  of  custom  this  slight  woman  battled  with  her  deli 
cate  hands.  There  were  strong  arguments  against  interfer 
ence  with  vested  political  rights.  There  were  reasons  of 
weight  sufficient  to  deter  our  greatest  statesmen  from  doing 
more  than  attempt  to  confine  slavery  within  its  old  limits, 
social  considerations  which  might  well  have  had  weight 
with  one  of  a  family  who  were  superior  to  the  fanaticism 
which  clamored  for  a  principle,  without  regard  to  the  peril 


THE   LIFE    WORK   OF   THE    AUTHOR   OF 

involved  in  the  sudden  disruption  of  laws  which  were  based 
upon  constitutional  rights.  These  considerations  not 
.strangely  placed  the  extreme  abolitionists  under  a  ban 
which  it  is  easy  to  understand,  when  we  look  at  their  vehe 
mence,  and  their  rash  haste  which  appeared  mere  incendiar 
ism  to  those  cooler  heads,  who  viewed  the  question  from  an 
intellectual  rather  than  an  emotional  standpoint. 

Harriet  Beecher  Stowe  might  well  have  hesitated,  but 
the  wrongs  of  the  blacks  were  upon  her  heart.  Her  soul 
was  burning  with  an  overwhelming  pity  and  righteous  in 
dignation  which  brooked  no  restraint  and  made  her  cry  out 
in  so  piercing,  thrilling,  and  persuasive  a  voice,  that  it 
reached  the  world  around,  and  resounded  even  to  Heaven. 

Yes,  to  Heaven,  for  this  work  was  a  prayer,  and.  was 
doubtless  one  of  the  several  providences  which  resulted  in 
the  emancipation  of  the  slaves  in  America.  For  in  spite  of 
the  augmenting  power  of  the  South  in  the  government;  in 
:spite  of  the  increasing  value  and  usefulness  of  the  slaves, 
which  the  invention  of  the  Cotton  Gin  had  brought  about ; 
in  spite  of  the  feeling  among  politicians,  and  conservative 
people  everywhere,  that  constitutional  rights  must  be  pro 
tected  until  the  frame  work  of  the  government  could  be  re- 
•constructed — the  cause  of  freedom  advanced. 

Differences  between  the  North  and  South  widened,  and 
the  War  which  commenced  upon  other  issues,  and  was 
fought  to  maintain  the  Union  or  disrupt  it,  brought  about 
the  Emancipation  of  the  Slaves,  because  the  hour  had 
come. 

Before  Lincoln's  proclamation  Mrs.  Stowe's  ideas  had 
permeated  all  society  and  had  done  much  to  work  public 
opinion  up  to  the  support  of  the  measure. 


UNCLE   TOM'S   CABIN.  85 

Without  such  support,  no  law  can  be  other  than  a  dead 
letter.  The  clear  sight  and  courage  with  which  she  upheld 
her  convictions,  in  that  time  when  history  was  rolled  in  the 
scroll  of  the  future,  is  a  marvel.  As  we  read  it  all  now,  it 
is  with  approval,  with  acquiescence,  which  yet  is  strength 
ened  and  augmented,  with  the  flow  of  her  highly  charged, 
electrically  eloquent,  sentences.  As  we  attempt  to  realize 
the  state  of  feeling,  which  in  the  North  permitted,  even 
while  it  did  not  sympathize  with,  Slavery,  and  in  the  South 
rested  upon  it  as  the  foundation  of  the  political  and  social 
system,  it  becomes  plain  how  this  great  book,  appearing  at 
that  epoch,  wrestled  with  the  custom  of  the  western  world, 
and  turned  the  eyes  of  all  nations  to  the  "  deep  damnation  " 
of  our  institution. 

But  to  return  to  the  story.  Uncle  Tom  was  to  see  more 
bright  days.  He  was  purchased  by  a  gentleman  of  New 
Orleans,  to  please  his  little  daughter — an  angelic  child  who 
had  made  acquaintance  with  Uncle  Tom  on  the  river 
steamer,  and  been  rescued  by  him  from  a  watery  grave, 
when  in  her  play  she  had  fallen  into  the  stream. 

Augustine  St.  Clare  took  him  home  for  a  coachman  for 
his  wife.  In  Augustine  St.  Clare  we  see  another  phase  of 
the  character  of  a  southern  gentleman.  Of  distinguished 
appearance,  grace  of  manner  and  intellectual  culture,  indul 
gent  and  light  in  his  moods,  as  was  to  be  expected  from  the 
strain  of  French  Huguenot  blood  in  his  veins,  he  presents  in 
his  fascinating  personality,  as  he  himself  declares,  a  victim 
of  the  institution  of  slavery.  He  says  that  masters  and 
slaves  are  generally  divided  into  two  classes — the  Oppress 
ors  and  the  Oppressed.  He  half  satirically  poses  as  one  of 
the  Oppressed,  and  indeed  his  patience  and  indulgent  for- 


86  THE   LIFE   WORK   OF   THE   AUTHOR   OF 

bearance  under  the  small  impositions  of  his  pampered  ser 
vants,  chief  of  whom  is  his  impertinent  valet  Dolph,  seemed 
to  bear  out  the  anomalous  situation. 

Certain  it  is  that  he  is  the  victim  of  the  whims  and 
caprices  of  a  pettish,  frivolous  wife ;  but  his  own  airy 
nature,  and  the  love  of  his  beautiful  child,  seem  ample  com 
pensations.  Into  this  luxurious  southern  home,  decorated 
and  beautified  with  all  the  elegances  that  wealth  and  cult 
ure  can  bring  together,  with  its  richly  dressed  and  aristo 
cratic  inmates,  with  its  uselessly  large  retinue  of  servants 
and  the  wasteful  extravagances  and  indifferent  management 
which  pertained  to  such  an  establishment,  there  comes  Miss 
Ophelia,  a  mature  maiden  cousin  from  Vermont.  She  is  the 
personification  of  New  England  thrift,  common  sense,  or 
thodoxy  and  practical  mindedness,  a  sort  of  composite  pho 
tograph  of  the  peculiarities  and  excellences  of  all  the  spin 
ster  dwellers  east  of  the  Hudson  River.  She  is  the  strong 
est  possible  foil  to  the  ideas  and  characters  of  her  southern 
cousins,  and  finds  a  discouragingly  uncultivated  field  for 
her  works  of  reform.  Miss  Ophelia  became  at  once  the 
recognized  and  accepted  type  of  a  Yankee  woman. 

Marie  remains  still  a  remembrance  of  what  southern 
women  naturally  became  when  not  upheld  by  any  sense  of 
duty,  personal  responsibility,  or  the  innate  right  feeling 
which  is  born  to  those  who  happily  have  to  bear  their  part 
in  life  and,  by  realizing  their  own  privileges,  appreciate  the 
rights  of  others.  In  the  experiences  of  this  family,  with 
its  diverse  characters,  in  the  conversations  between  Miss 
Ophelia  and  her  cousin  St.  Clare,  as  she  sits  fiercely  knitting 
and  he  reposes  smoking  upon  a  sofa,  we  are  most  naturally 


8T 

shown  the  various  aspects,  and  results  of  the  system  of 
slavery. 

But  while  the  author's  ideas  are  thus  cleverly  promul 
gated  the  story  advances.  Uncle  Tom  becomes  the  most 
trusted  factotum  and  the  steward  of  the  St.  Clare  estab 
lishment.  Tom  regards  his  handsome,  volatile,  young 
master,  with  a  strange  mixture  of  fealty,  reverence  and 
fatherly  solicitude.  His  insecure  religious  standing  trou 
bles  the  good  black  servant  and  he  speaks  respectful 
words  of  warning  and  remonstrance.  St.  Clare  receives 
these  admonitions  with  kind  tolerance,  which  however,  on 
occasions  deepens  into  a  momentary  self-condemnation  and 
tender  appreciation  of  the  impulses  which  prompt  Tom  to 
make  them.  He  promises  his  faithful  servant  not  to  tam 
per  further  with  the  wine  which  several  times  has  sent 
him  home  in  an  unsteady  condition.  Miss  Ophelia  having 
undertaken  to  superintend  the  running  of  the  house,  begins 
to  suffer  the  tribulations  and  to  endure  the  manifold  vexa 
tions  and  vain  attempts  to  adjust  irreconcilable  differences, 
which  can  only  be  realized  and  appreciated  by  a  house 
keeper's  mind.  Her  awful  review  of  the  condition  of  the 
hidden  recesses  of  the  house,  and  particularly  the  kitchen , 
her  overhauling  and  re -arrangement  of  the  store  rooms, 
linen  presses  and  china  closet,  her  conflicts  with  Dinah,  the 
deposed  regent  of  this  realm ;  the  righteous  indignation 
with  which  she  regards  such  careless  opulence  and  the  waste 
of  the  provisions,  and  the  vivid  realization  of  all  the  cir 
cumstances  calculated  to  wring  a  good  house-keeper's  heart, 
are  inexpressibly  amusing,  and  perhaps  to  some  minds 
quite  as  convincing  of  the  discomforts  of  the  system  of 


THE   LIFE   WOEK    OF   THE    AUTHOR    OF 

slavery  as  the  most  pathetic  representation  of  the  sufferings 
of  the  negroes  could  be. 

When  Miss  Ophelia  is  tried  past  bearing,  she  goes  to 
have  it  out  with  St.  Clare,  and  their  talks,  begun  in 
indignant  remonstrance  on  her  part  answered  by  light 
persiflage  from  him,  proceed  into  earnest  discussion  of  the 
entire  subject,  and  end  in  his  return  to  his  cigar,  while 
Miss  Ophelia  with  a  softened  face,  goes  out  to  her  duties. 
In  these  discussions  there  is  concentrated  the  essence,  the 
beginning  and  end  of  slavery  as  it  had  never  before  been 
presented  to  the  world.  In  St.  Clare,  Mrs.  Stowe  develops 
her  possibilities  in  the  analysis  of  a  character,  quite  dis 
tinct  and  diverse  from  the  several  clear  cut  types  in  the 
tale.  Modern  portrayals  of  the  person,  motives,  actions 
and  varied  tastes,  and  capabilities  of  a  gentleman,  have  in 
no  way  detracted  from  this  excellently  well-painted  picture. 
St.  Clare  is  a  born  aristocrat,  who  is  yet  so  far  able  to  ex 
tricate  himself  from  his  environment,  as  to  see  it  with  un 
prejudiced  eyes.  Some  of  his  comments  and  subtle  in 
sights  into  the  distinctive  moving  springs  of  his  class,  are 
delicious.  As  for  instance  when  he  says, — "  An  aristocrat 
has  no  human  sympathies  beyond  a  certain  line  insocietyj.' 
Again,  m  speaking  of  his^fatheivhe  savs.^"  religious  _senti- 
ment,  he  had  none  beyond  a  generation  for  (rod  as  decid 
edly  the  head  of  theupperj^Iasses.'1  The  passage  where  he 
describes  hislnothePsblessed  influence  is  a  worthy  descrip 
tion  of  Harriet  Beecher  Stowe's  mother's  influence  as  it 
was  felt  in  her  family. 

About  this  time  Topsy  comes  upon  the  stage. — Topsy, 
the  black  imp,  hardly  to  be  known  as  a  girl  or  boy,  Topsy 
with  the  bare  legs  and  arms,  the  pig-tails  sticking  up  all 


UNCLE   TOM'S   CABIN.  89 

over  her  head,  the  bead-like  eyes  always  seeking  new  mis 
chief!  She,  of  the  unexpected  and  curious  gambols,  of  the 
warped  conscience,  and  the  total  lack  of  responsibility  to 
any  being !  Every  street  child,  every  day  laborer,  every 
huckster,  thief,  colporteur,  parson  and  burglar,  knows 
Topsy.  They  have  all  seen  her,  time  and  again  upon  the 
stage  and  in  memory  of  the  book  and  its  dramatization. 
She  was  a  revelation,  an  unimagined  personality  and  char 
acter,  (not  however  without  precedent  as  the  original  was  a 
girl  named  Celeste,  who  was  known  to  the  family  in  Cin 
cinnati).  But  her  actions  so  constantly  appealed  to  the 
various  strings  of  the  human  heart  that  she  remains,  a 
synonym  for  incarnated  mischief,  incorrigibility,  irresponsi 
bility,  fun  and  impish  heartlessness.  Quite  without  an  idea 
of  her  personal  relation  to  the  principles  of  social  rights, 
insensible  to  beatings,  remonstrances,  or  any  punishment 
yet  devised,  she  became  Miss^Ophplia's  nY^TTtr^dip.tirm  and 
stumbling-bloc^  bt.  JJlkre's  pro^f  of  total  depravity, 
Marie's  strong  aversion,  and  the  torment  of  alHhe  house 
servants. 

Only  sweet  little  Eva,  the  angelic  child  who  gently 
faded  from  earth  because  she  had  not  enough  gross  ma 
terial  to  stay,  overcame  the  black  child's  stolid  indiffer 
ence  to  kind,  well-meant  reproaches,  and  by  the  melting 
force  of  love,  touched  the  calloused  heart,  pleading  effectu 
ally  with  smiles  and  tenderness,  by  friendly  hand-clasp  and 
the  breath  of  flowers,  where  stripes  and  bruising  blows  had 
failed.  Gentle  Eva,  the  immortal  child  of  the  author's 
brain,  had  found  the  answer  to  the  questionj^M'Vhat  is  to 
be  done  with  a  human  being  that  can  be  governed  only  by^_ 
the  lash,  when  that  fails?  "  Whipping  and  abuse  are  like  7 


90  THE   LIFE   WORK  OF   THE   AUTHOR   OF 

opiates,  you  haye  to  double  the  dose  as  the  sensibilities 
fail  and  declined/Lit  was  and  is,— for  we  need  the  lesson 
still  in  this  strange,  queerly  assorted  life, — the  power  of 
loveTj  It  is  the  only  power  that  can  move  the  heart,  heal 
wrongs,  incite  noble  action  and  bring  us  a  final  "  Well 
done." 

In  this  bringing  together  of  the  two  children,  representa 
tive  of  the  extremes  of  society,  what  dramatic  force  and 
sense  of  telling  situations  did  the  author  display  !  It  was 
as  a  tableau  which  flashed  in  one  comprehensive  scene,  the 
effects  of  heredity  and  environment,  r  The  Saxon,  born  of 
ages  of  cultivation,  the  African,  born  of  ages  of  oppression.^ 
There  was  a  world  of  argument  in  the  combination.  It 
speaks  most  strongly  for  itself.  Comments  are  not  neces 
sary  to  show  between  the  lines  volumes  of  deep  meaning. 
We  can  apply  it  to  various  situations  in  life. 

Two  years  go  by,  and  Uncle  Tom  lives  on  comfortable 
and  comparatively  happy.  By  means  of  a  letter  from  George 
Shelby,  a  line  of  communication,  given  as  well,  to  the 
reader  of  the  story,  we  easily  return  to  the  Kentucky  home, 
where  Chloe  works  with  the  hope  of  sometime  buying  her 
husband  back,  and  Mrs.  Shelby  keeps  the  place  running 
with  her  enviable  executive  faculty.  It  is  but  a  glimpse, 
and  we  take  a  seat  upon  the  magician's  carpet  and  are 
again  in  New  Orleans  where  we  see  Eva  making  Uncle 
'Tom  her  chief  companion  and  confidential  friend,  riding 
with  him,  talking  upon  'many  interesting  and  improving 
themes,  exchanging  her  knowledge  of  polite  society  for  his 
religious  perceptions,  reading  to  him  in  her  melodious  voice 
from  the  Scriptures,  while  he  explains  and  expounds  pas 
sages  in  his  own  simple  and  clear-seeing  manner.  Great, 


UNCLE   TOM'S  CABIN.  91 

black,  earnest  Uncle  Tom,  sings  hymns  in  his  heavy 
sonorous  voice,  while  Eva  listens,  sometimes  joining  her 
clear  piping  treble.  It  is  to  him,  her  best  friend  and  most 
appreciative  companion,  that  Eva  confides  her  feeling  that 
she  was  going  to  die,  soon.  It  is  with  him  that  she 
talks  of  the  happiness  she  feels  in  leaving  this  earth 
where  she  is  always  tired,  and  pants  for  breath,  and  suffers 
with  fever  and  a  hectic  burning  in  her  cheeks ;  with  him 
that  she  longs  for  the  rest  and  perfect  happiness  of  the  new 
life  which  she  is  approaching ;  with  him  that  she  talks  of 
the  glories  of  God  and  of  the  angels.  And  he,  with  his 
great,  loving,  honest  heart,  pierced  with  anguish,  prays  that 
it  may  not  be  so,  not  yet,  that  she  may  stay  to  minister  to 
them  all,  where  kindness  and  mercy  and  love  are  so  sadly 
wanting. 

Have  we  not  sobbed  in  uncontrollable  emotion  over  this 
story  ?  Have  we  not  seen  it  portrayed  by  living  actors 
upon  the  stage,  when  no  failure  to  rise  to  its  possibilities, 
could  mar  the  effect  of  the  sentiment,  when  even  slow 
music  upon  a  melodeon,  in  provincial  performances,  could 
not  destroy  its  inherent  strength  and  beauty  and  pathos  ? 

Shall  we  discuss  the  literary  merits  of  this  tale?  Shall 
we  talk  of  art,  when  its  intensity  of  sweetness  and  sadness 
make  tears  stream  from  our  eyes,  confounding  the  most 
unimpressionable,  and,  having  knocked  the  stilts  of  conven 
tionalism  from  under  us,  let  us  down  to  the  true  basis  of 
feeling,  sentiment  and  truth?  . 

The  death  of  Eva,  with  the  events  clustering  about  the 
time,  the  giving  of  Topsy  by  St.  Clare  to  Miss  Ophelia,  his 
intention  of  also  freeing  Uncle  Tom  which  was  unfortu 
nately  postponed  too  long,  and  his  own  death  by  accident, 


92  THE   LIFE   WORK   OF   THE   AUTHOR   OF 

follow  in  quick  succession,  and  Uncle  Tom  and  all  the 
slaves  of  the  household  are  left  unprotected.  Uncle  Tom 
is  finally  sent  to  the  warehouse  and  sold ;  not  back  to  the 
Shelbys,  for  they  know  nothing  of  his  changing  fortunes, 
not  to  Aunt  Chloe,  for  she,  singing  over  her  work  in  the 
hope  of  soon  making  him  free,  lives  on  in  happy  uncon 
sciousness  of  his  fate.  Again  the  reader  witnesses  the 
scenes  of  a  slave  mart.  Again  the  auctioneer  places  human 
beings  upon  the  block,  discusses  their  good  points  as 
animals,  pats  the  glossy  brawn  of  the  male  field  hands  and 
lays  rough  hands  upon  the  tender  flesh  of  modest  women, 
discanting  upon  their  beauties.  Emeline  and  her  pretty 
daughter  Susan  are  introduced  and  Legree,  the  fiend  in  dis 
torted  human  shape,  the  type  of  all  that  is(_naturally  brutal, 
warped  and  degraded  by  his  tradj,  appears  upon  the  scene. 
Here  is  his  picture. 

"  A  little  before  the  sale  commenced,  a  short,  broad,  muscular 
man,  in  a  checked  shirt  considerably  open  at  the  bosom,  and  pan 
taloons  much  the  worse  for  dirt  and  wear,  elbowed  his  way  through 
the  crowd,  like  one  who  is  going  actively  into  a  business  ;  and 
coming  up  to  the  group,  began  to  examine  them  systematically. 
From  the  moment  that  Tom  saw  him  approaching,  he  felt  an  im 
mediate  and  revolting  horror  at  him,  that  increased  as  he  came 
near.  He  was  evidently,  though  short,  of  gigantic  strength.  His 
round,  bullet  head,  large,  light-gray  eyes,  with  their  shaggy, 
sandy  eyebrows,  and  stiff,  wiry,  sun-burned  hair,  were  rather  un 
prepossessing  items,  it  is  to  be  confessed  ;  his  large,  coarse  mouth 
was  distended  with  tobacco,  the  juice  of  which,  from  time  to  time, 
he  ejected  from  him  with  great  decision  and  explosive  force  ;  his 
hands  were  immensely  large,  hairy,  sunburned,  freckled,  and  very 
dirty,  and  garnished  with  long  nails,  in  a  very  foul  condition." 


UNCLE   TOM'S   CABIN.  93 

Simon  Legree  with  the  slaves  he  had  bought  at  several 
auctions,  among  whom  were  Tom  and  Emeline,  departs 
for  his  plantation  on  a  Ked  Eiver  boat.  The  trans 
formation  of  Tom,  as  far  as  wearing  apparel  could  go, 
from  the  sleek,  respectable  coachman  in  white  linen 
and  broadcloth,  to  the  plantation  hand  in  rough  clothes 
and  disreputable  hat  and  shoes,  here  takes  place. 
Uncle  Tom  manages  to  retain  his  Bible  while  his  other 
belongings  are  emptied  from  his  trunk  upon  the  deck, 
and  amid  much  hilarity,  sold  to  the  highest  bidders.  In 
the  character  of  Legree,  the  passage  to  his  neglected  and 
broken-down  plantation,  the  fate  of  his  abused  slaves  and 
the  regime  of  terror  and  crime  which  he  maintained,  there 
is  exhibited  the  most  fearful  possibilities,  the  most  shameful 
probabilities  of  the  institution  which  permitted  the  abso 
lute  holding  of  human  beings,  by  a  so-called  owner.  In 
this  new  situation  is  plainly  demonstrated  the  pernicious 
workings  of  a  system  in  which  there  is  absolutely  nothing 
to  protect  the  life  of  a  slave,  but  the  character  of  the 
master. 

It  has  been  claimed  that  the  character  of  Legree  is  a 
frightful  imagination  of  diabolism  in  human  form,  an  exag 
geration  of  malignity  which  could  never  be  realized. 
Legree  has  been  declared  as  unreal  as  Caliban  or  an  ogre  in 
a  nursery  tale.  But  Bill  Sikes  and  the  Thenardiers  furnish 
as  distinct  and  successful  literary  types  ;  and  alas,  have  we 
not  known  in  the  flesh,  of  Wirz,  another  result  of  cruel  con 
ditions,  the  calloused  keeper  of  the  prison  den  at  Ander- 
sonville!  That  personification  of  ingenuity  in  torture,  who 
while  utterly  devoid  of  mercy  or  sensibility  to  suffering, 
yet  showed  a  strange  fertility  in  cruel  expedient  and  an 


THE  LIFE  WORK   OF  THE   AUTHOR  OF 

enjoyment  of  human  terror  and  agony,  quite  out  of  keeping 
with  those  benumbed  sensibilities.  Such  a  fiend  was 
Legree. 

Charles  Beecher  wrote  of  a  man  like  him  upon  the 
wharves  of  New  Orleans  who  exhibited  his  fists,  with, 
knuckles  enlarged  and  calloused  in  u  knocking  niggers 
down." 

The  story  grows  more  intense  as  we  follow  Tom  through 
the  new  experiences  of  his  life  on  Simon  Legree's  planta 
tion.  The  picture  deepens,  grows  darker  and  sadder,  and 
the  figures  of  the  down-trodden  slaves  stand  out  distinctly 
-against  the  gloom  of  the  surroundings.  The  heavy  labor 
of  the  field  hands,  the  weary,  soul-crushing  round  of  work, 
work  uninterrupted  or  relieved  by  one  hour  of  pleasure  or 
peaceful  rest,  the  night  grinding  of  the  corn  by  tired  men 
and  women,  who  impatiently  wait  their  turns  at  the  hand 
mills,  or  in  utter  despair  abandon  the  attempt  to  prepare 
food,  preferring  death  to  such  a  struggle  for  existence  and 
only  longing  for  the  end ;  the  character  of  the  woman 
Oassy,  once  a  petted  favorite  of  a  rich  and  indulgent  master, 
later  the  mother  of  fair  and  lovely  children,  then  the  aban 
doned  mistress,  who  came  to  the  block  and  saw  her  chil 
dren  sold  into  slavery,  at  last  the  desperate  creature  whose 
apparent  insanity  had  made  her  the  dread  of  drivers  and  her 
companions  in  slavery,  and  the  consort  of  the  fiend  Legree, 
who  was  yet  an  abject  coward  before  her  terrible  temper, 
and  unconquerable  spirit ;  the  shameful  life  in  prospect  for 
Emeline,  unless  some  kind  fate  shall  interpose  in  her  be 
half;  the  brutal  orgies  of  the  degraded  master,  with  his  two 
still  more  degraded  slaves  and  drivers, — all  are  depicted 
with  ever  increasing  strength  and  graphic  power — for  the 


UNCLE   TOM'S   CABIN.  95 

climax  of  the  tragedy  draws  near.  Legree  hates  Uncle 
Tom  as  is  natural  when  he  discovers  his  superiority,  and 
feels  his  unspoken  disapproval.  For  as  the  author  says : 
"So  subtle  is  the  atmosphere  of  opinion  that  it  will  make 
itself  felt  without  words  ;  and  the  opinion  even  of  a  slave 
,may  annoy  a  master." 

Legree  realizes,  by  some  unseen  but  "none  the  less  palp 
able  thought  transferrence,  that  Tom  despises  him.  This 
arouses  all  his  vindictive  passions,  and  he  resolves  to  sub 
due  the  man.  With  a  just  appreciation  of  the  fine  feelings 
of  the  creature  whom  he  legally  owns,  he  perceives  that 
more  degrading  than  punishment  inflicted  upon  his  person, 
would  be  compelling  him  to  flog  another,  and  a  woman ! 
This  Tom  refuses  to  do,  by  his  calm  but  decided  refusal 
eliciting  expressions  of  terror  from  the  listening  slaves,  who 
know  too  well  what  the  result  will  be.  ^Legree,  at  first 
dumb-founded  at  the  disobedience,  then  driven  to  fury  by 
the  evidence  that  he  has  no  power  over  the  indomitable 
courage  and  high  spirit  of  the  bondma$J  orders  him  to  be 
whipped  by  the  brutal  fellows  who  have  been  often 
employed  in  this  shameful  office. 

Again,  when  Gassy  and  Emeline  disappear,  Legree 
demands  of  Tom  their  whereabouts.  He  declines  to 
speak  of  them,  and  at  his  repeated  refusals  to  disclose 
their  retreat,  the  fiendish  master  orders  him  to  be  flogged 
and  without  mercy.  He  could  indeed  hold  and  tor 
ture  the  defenceless  body  of  the  poor  slave  but  his  spirit 
he  could  not  degrade.  A  good  Vermont  Judge  once 
ordered  a  slave  hunter  who  demanded  "his  property" 
to  "  show  a  bill  of  sale  from  the  Almighty."  Legree  had 
no  such  warrant  and  his  baffled  ferocity  expended  itself 


96  THE   LIFE   WORK   OF   THE   AUTHOR   OF 

upon  the  poor  tenement  of  the  great  free  soul.  One  dreads 
the  denouement  and  jet  perforce  must  read  on.  The  conse 
quences,  the  fatal  injuries  of  Uncle  Tom,  whose  spirit  never 
faltered  even  under  the  terrible  cutting  lash  of  the  whips — 
his  hours  of  pain  and  mortal  anguish  as  he  lies  on  the  floor 
in  a  shed — the  ministrations  by  night  of  Gassy,  whose 
unquiet  soul  had  been  moved  to  sweetness  and  hope  by  his 
brave  suffering,  and  spiritual  insights — and — at  last,  his 
death,  bring  the  intense  tale  to  a  climax. 

While  from  the  first  page,  this  story  has  been  a  startling 
revelation,  a  marvelous  sight  as  through  a  glass,  of  the  var 
ious  aspects  of  life  under  the  system  of  negro  slavery,  it  is 
not  until  we  stand  over  the  dead  body  of  Uncle  Tom ;  not 
until  we  feel  the  sublime  pity  of  it,  the  tender  regret  and 
rising  indignation  of  it,  the  swelling  sense  of  cruel  wrong, 
and  the  irrepressible  rush  of  divine  rage,  aversion,  and 
unquenchable  denunciation  for  what  made  this  possible — 
that  the  work  reaches  its  highest  power. 

In  the  scarred,  swollen,  bleeding  form  of  the  noble  black 
man,  now  lying  in  the  stillness  of  death,  which  is  unlike 
any  other  stillness  in  nature ;  in  the  holy  love  and  trust, 
which  have  been  the  consolation  and  dependence  of  this 
poor  dead  creature,  there  is  summed  up,  the  possibili 
ties,  the  capacities  for  joy  and  suffering,  the  patience,  faith 
fulness,  docility,  great  hearted  kindness,  the  noble  simplic 
ity,  devotion  to  duty,  self  sacrifice  and  determination  to  do 
right,  the  deep  religious  faith  and  earnest  Christian  feeling 
of  the  whole  African  race. 

In  his  disfigured  and  excoriated  body  there  is  epitomized 
every  possible  argument  against  the  institution,  which  for 
political  reasons,  for  a  mistaken  sense  of  honor,  on  account 


UNCLE    TOM'S   CABIN.  97 

of  a  dim  sighted  valuation  of  principles  over  living  issues, 
conservative  souls  hesitated  to  condemn  hastily!  For  had 
it  not  had  the  sanction  of  custom,  almost  from  the  founda 
tion  of  our  colonial  existence ! 

The  arrival,  too  late,  of  young  George  Shelby,  who  has 
come  to  buy  back  his  old  friend,  adds  an  exquisite  touch 
of  pathos;  and  his  burial  of  the  remains  of  Uncle  Tom  in 
his  own  cloak,  presents  a  ceremony  in  which  the  reader 
feels  as  a  sympathetic  mourner.  The  short  interview  of 
the  impetuous  young  man,  whose  soul  is  filled  with  sorrow 
and  regret,  with  Legree  who  makes  invidious  remarks  as 
to  the  sense  of  making  such  "  a  fuss  over  a  dead  nigger," 
and  the  sudden  accession  of  wrath  which  excites  George  to 
promptly,  knock  him  down — affords  an  immense  satisfac 
tion  to  the  reader,  who  involuntarily  finds  himself  in  young 
Shelby's  place.  The  story  draws  to  a  close,  with  the  sad 
return  of  George  Shelby  to  Kentucky,  the  breaking  of  the 
intelligence  to  Aunt  Chloe  and  the  family  of  Uncle  Tom's 
good  master.  The  account  of  the  happy  situation  of 
George  Harris,  Eliza  and  their  child  in  a  Canadian  town, 
and  the  exposition  through  a  letter  from  George  of  the 
author's  idea  for  the  colonization  of  Liberia,  complete  the 
work. 

One  commences  to  re-read  this  wonderful  story  with  a 
view  to  its  merits  as  literary  art.  But  criticism,  artistic 
standpoint,  even  the  vehicle  itself,  is  forgotten  as  one  is 
swept  away  from  all  conventionalities  and  literary  tenets 
upon  the  surging  current  of  mighty  feeling.  Uncle  Tom's 
Cabin  has  seldom  been  discussed  as  a  mere  work  of  art. 
Human  interest  and  sympathy  so  transcend  the  machinery 
of  the  work,  that  one  quite  unburdened  with  susceptibility 
7 


98  THE   LIFE   WORK   OF   THE   AUTHOR   OF 

to  the  weal  or  woe  of  the  characters,  the  exquisite  tortures 
of  mind  and  body,  the  sacred  rights  of  living  beings,  must 
be  the  cool  headed,  cool  hearted  critic. 

It  must  be  a  technical  mind  which  can  learnedly  discuss 
the  work  as  tested  by  the  criteria  of  modern  art  critcism ; 
a  mind  which  can  describe  with  a  nicety,  the  laws  of  novel 
writing ;  which  can  assert  that  this  book  is  not  a  novel 
because  it  has  a  practical  motive ;  because  the  end  is  out 
side  of  itself,  because  it  carries  in  parallel  lines  the  lives  of 
two  heroes  which  have  no  essential  relation  each  other. 
And  while  we  bow  and  say  "  Yes,"  "  Yes,"  to  these  learned 
and  nice  analyses,  we  still  feel  that  it  is  a  novel,  that  it  is 
artistic,  that  it  is  a  work  of  great  originality,  genius,  and 
perception  of  actual  possibilities,  which  are  worked  out 
with  rare  discrimination  and  dramatic  power. 

It  has  been  the  verdict  of  some  critics  who  place  less 
value  upon  the  matter  than  the  manner  of  a  literary  work, 
that  the  characters  in  Uncle  Tom's  Cabin  are  all  too  ex 
treme.  That  they  resemble,  in  their  respective  antipodal 
manifestations,  (if  one  may  be  pardoned  the  flippancy  in 
thus  digesting  their  wise  conclusions,)  the  historic  little 
girl,  with  the  curl  on  her  forehead.  This  may  be  true  from 
a  coldly  artistic  reasoning,  which  demands  that  the  lesser 
values  shall  have  their  representation,  and  which  in  the 
attempt  to  round  out  and  fill  characters,  often  merely  suc 
ceeds  in  leveling  them  to  a  dull,  uninteresting  plain,  where 
heroes  and  cowards,  villains  and  noble  actors,  are  so  alike, 
that  it  requires  the  minutest  analysis  to  separate  them  from 
each  other.  It  was  not  the  fashion  forty  years  ago  to  de 
tract  from  the  force  of  a  representation,  by  an  undue  con 
sideration  of  its  drawbacks  and  limitations.  Neither  were 


UNCLE   TOM'S  CABIN.  99 

characters  emasculated  as  they  are  often  to-day,  by  a  finical 
anxiety  as  to  their  minor  and  contradictory  traits.  Neither 
was  it  at  all  to  the  taste  or  disposition  of  Harriet  Beecher 
Stowe  to  weaken  her  own,  or  the  reader's  convictions,  by 
citing  all  the  possible  modifications  of  her  case.  She  had  no 
inclination  to  reduce  her  strong  points  to  the  polished  level 
obtained  by  many  writers.  Their  indecision  (which  they 
mistake  for  liberality)  prevents  them  from  making  an  en 
during  impress  upon  the  age.  Her  work  was  that  of  the 
astronomer  who  looks  at  fixed  stars  through  his  telescope, 
as  compared  with  the  microscopic  nicety,  which  induces  the 
purveyors  of  details  to  call  our  attention  -to  unessentials  in 
the  modern  novel.  And  yet  Mrs.  Stowe's  characters  are 
very  like  people  we  know,  whose  ruling  passions  quite  ob 
scure  their  minor  traits,  whether  good  or  bad. 

One  fact  is  quite  remarkable,  it  is,  that  this  story  is  entirely 
without  a  lover.  No  tale  of  youthful  passion  holds  it  together 
with  delicate  threads  of  sympathy,  no  hint  of  the  old  yet  ever 
new  spring  time  of  virgin  love,  is  presented.  Of  pure  and 
holy  affection  there  is  a  fullness ;  of  marital,  filial  and  broth 
erly  love,  most  beautiful  instances;  but  no  sweet  lady  is 
introduced  to  be  the  reward  and  pride  of  young  George  Shel 
by,  and  no  dark-skinned  lover  complicates  the  situation 
where  pretty  Emeline  is  concerned.  In  Uncle  Tom's  Cabin 
Mrs.  Stowe  regarded  life,  not  in  the  light  of  hope  or  pleasant 
anticipation.  She  wrote  of  a  terrible  wrong  as  it  existed, 
and  with  the  earnest  purpose,  to  make  others  see  it  as  she  did. 

It  is  indeed  a  nondescript  work  of  fiction.  No  rules  or 
canons  which  apply  to  average  and  mediocre  creations,  in 
any  way  fit  it.  Some  works  and  actions  are  too  low  and 
common  for  conventional  criticism ;  this  is  too  high  and 


100  THE   LIFE   WORK   OF   THE    AUTHOK   OF 

apart  to  be  brought  under  usual  comparisons.  But  granting 
its  literary  limitations  it  must  be  conceded  that,  aside  from 
its  powerful  moral  purpose,  which  obtained  where  thousands 
of  works  of  polished  rhetoric  had  failed,  and  "  moulded  " 
the  heart  of  millions  into  one,"  the  unprecedentedly  popular 
impression  it  made,  was  due  to  the  true  art  with  which  facts 
and  impressions  were  assimilated,  fused  and  set  forth. 

It  was  slave  life:  not  something  it  was  like,  but  the  life 
itself,  shown  to  us  through  the  clear  medium  of  this  grand 
woman's  intellect.  Can  art  do  more  ? 

It  is  true  that  this  work  had  the  advantage  of  a  new  field 
of  exploration,  and  that  it  was  an  unfolding  to  the  world,  of 
a  phase  of  political  and  social  life,  into  which  the  novelist 
had  not  penetrated,  nor  leveled  and  mannerized  the  actions 
and  characters.  The  broad  poetic  features  of  life  upon 
which  romance  relies,  were  the  same,  but  the  situation  was 
peculiar,  and  the  treatment  fresh,  vigorous,  and  entirelyfree 
from  conventionalism. 

The  state  of  political  feeling  which  prevailed  at  the  time 
of  the  writing  of  "  Uncle  Tom's  Cabin,"  can  hardly  be  ap 
preciated  by  the  present  generation.  The  lapse  of  years, 
and  the  anxiety  then  felt,  being  relieved  by  the  adjustment 
of  the  difficulty,  has  (in  a  way)  blunted  the  sensibilities  of 
modern  readers  to  the  evil  which  its  author  dared  to  attack. 
But  there  is  nothing  ephemeral  in  her  thoughts  and  methods. 
The  sentiment  of  ic  Uncle  Tom's  Cabin  "  will  be  as  true  and 
moving  one  hundred  years  hence,  as  it  was  forty  years  ago. 
Mrs.  Stowe's  fun  is  intrinsically  humorous.  The  comicality 
of  her  situations  endures.  It  is  not  dependent  upon  style, 
time,  or  nationality. 

Her  pathos  touches  the  deepest  springs  of  human  sym- 


UNCLE   TOM'S  CABIN.  101 

pathy,  moving  the  heart  to  tenderer  throb  for  all  humanity, 
because  she  so  warms  it  for  the  weal  of  woe  of  her  char 
acters. 

Her  philosophy  is  based  upon  tenable  ground,  and  withal, 
has  a  touch  of  indulgence  for  the  error  which  she  condemns, 
and  a  sense  of  the  excusable  mistakes  of  finite  beings, 
emanating  from  her  own  generous  spirit,  which  after  all 
dominates  her  strongest  conclusions.  Her  reasoning  is  mas- 
ouline  in  its  logic,  a  thing  quite  different  from  the  woman's 
reason  of  "gentle  Will  Shakespeare"  which  "thinks  him 
so,  because,  she  thinks  him  so."  Its  sequence  is  convincing, 
building  one  proposition  upon  another,  until  a  well  con 
structed  argument  appears,  which  stands  because  well 
founded.  Mrs.  Stowe  impressed  the  peculiarities  of  her 
personality  upon  her  work.  Honesty,  directness,  grasp  of 
essential  points,  and  good-humored  toleration  of  human 
limitations,  were  remarkable,  while  yet  she  launched  a  thun 
derbolt  against  the  system  of  negro  slavery. 

"  Uncle  Tom's  Cabin  "  is  full  of  thought  which  is  deeper 
than  speech.  It  glows  with  feeling  which  is  deeper  than 
thought.  This  work,  had  she  written  no  other,  would  in 
itself  be  a  sufficient  passport  to  literary  immortality. 

"While  Mrs.  Stowe  was  far  from  advocating  disunion  or  a 
revolution — and  hers  was  not  a  political  effort  but  one  put 
forth  for  moral  suasion — it  must  be  remembered,  that  com 
mon  sense  as  well  as  the  law,  presumes  that  a  person  intends 
the  natural  consequences  of  his  actions.  Therefore  in  this 
soul  stirring  effort  against  slavery,  Harriet  Beecher  Stowe 
proved  herself  an  Abolitionist  who  looked  earnestly  to  the 
end,  let  the  means  be  what  they  might. 

It  proved   to   be  an  agent  more  powerful  than  Garris- 


102  THE  LIFE   WOKK   OF   THE   AUTHOR   OF 

Liberator,  more  potent  than  the  poems  of  Whittier,  more 
persuasive  than  the  speeches  of  Phillips  and  Sumner.  As 
an  eminent  critic  said  ;  "  It  presented  the  thing  concretely 
and  dramatically,  and  in  particular  it  made  the  Fugitive 
Slave  law  forever  impossible  to  enforce." 

Statesmen  still  think  however,  that  neither  the  influence 
of  this  work — well  calculated  as  it  was  to  awaken  the  right 
feeling  of  the  people — nor  the  speeches  and  writings  of  all 
the  other  moralists  of  the  age,  would  have  wrought  the 
emancipation  of  the  American  slaves,  had  not  the  madness 
of  the  South  upon  various  political  questions,  precipitated 
a  series  of  events,  of  which  Lincoln's  proclamation  was  the 
glorious  culmination.  This  question  must  remain  a  matter 
of  personal  opinion,  as  plainly,  no  one  can  measure  or  weigh 
moral  force.  Mrs.  Stowe  never  expected  to  see  the  slaves 
free.  It  seemed  impossible  in  view  of  the  situation,  that 
emancipation  could  come  so  soon.  But  "  God  disposes." 

Men  lived  years  in  each  day  during  that  pregnant  period, 
and  the  thing  was  accomplished,  while  yet  it  was  supposed 
to  halt  in  the  dimness  of  future  years. 


CHAPTER  V. 

TEMPORARY  PROSTRATION  OF  MRS.  STOWE  AFTER  THE  COM 
PLETION  OF  "UNCLE  TOM'S  CABIN."  HER  DESPAIR  OF 
REACHING  THE  HEARTS  OF  THE  PEOPLE.  HER  LETTERS  TO 
PROMINENT  PERSONAGES  AT  HOME  AND  ABROAD.  REPLIES 
FROM  QUEEN  VICTORIA  AND  THE  ROYAL  CONSORT,  T.  B. 
MACAULEY,  CHARLES  KINGLEY,  THE  EARL  OF  SHAFTES- 
BURY,  HON.  ARTHUR  HELPS,  ARCHBISHOP  WHATELEY,  FRE- 
DERCA  BREMER,  MADAME  GEORGE  SANDS,  WHITTIER,  GAR 
RISON,  HENRY  WARD  BEECHER,  HARRIET  MARTINEAU  AND 
OTHERS.  THE  EFFECT  OF  "  UNCLE  TOM'S  CABIN  "  ON  THE 
SOUTH.  ENORMOUS  CIRCULATION  OF  THE  BOOK.  TRANS 
LATIONS  INTO  MORE  THAN  TWENTY  LANGUAGES.  THE 
COLLECTION  OF  EDITIONS  AND  VERSIONS  IN  THE  BRITISH 
MUSEUM  LIBRARY.  DESCRIPTIONS  OF  CURIOUS  SPECIMENS 

IN  THE  POSSESSION  OF  THE  AUTHOR  AT  HARTFORD,  CONN. 
INSTANCES  OF  ITS  EFFECTS  UPON  THE  MORAL  AND  RELIG 
IOUS  OPINIONS  OF  THE  WORLD.  REV.  CHARLES  E.  STOWE'S 
REPORT  OF  ITS  AMERICAN  SALE  DURING  1887.  AN  AC 
COUNT  GIVEN  BY  THE  EDITOR  OF  THE  ATLANTIC  MONTHLY 
OF  MRS.  STOWE'S  FIRST  ATTENDANCE  AT  THE  THEATRICAL 
REPRESENTATION  OF  "  UNCLE  TOM'S  CABIN." 


until  the  last  chapters  of  "  Uncle  Tom's  Cabin  " 
were  written,  and  that  eloquent  appeal  to  the  people  of  the 
United  States  which  ends  the  book  was  finished,  did  Mrs. 
Stowe  falter  in  her  task.  Not  until  the  last  sheets  were 

103 


104  THE  LIFE   WORK   OF   THE   AUTHOR  OF 

folded  and  sent  to  the  Post  Office  by  a  trusty  messenger,  did 
she  realize  how  great  had  been  the  strain  upon  her  body, 
heart  and  mind.  It  was  only  when  the  last  page  of  proof 
was  examined  and  corrected,  that  the  exaltation  and  crea 
tive  fire  which  had  for  so  many  months  possessed  the 
author  of  "  Uncle  Tom's  Cabin,"  fell  and  died  out,  leaving 
her  in  despair,  trembling  and  quite  cast  down.  Because 
she  feared  the  results  to  her  personally,  because  she  dreaded 
impending  events,  because  she  lost  belief  in  the  truth  and 
justice  of  the  cause  which  she  had  thus  presented  ?  Not 
for  au  instant.  It  was  that  it  seemed  so  hopeless  to  reach 
the  hearts  of  the  people,  so  futile  to  remonstrate  and  urge 
a  turning  to  the  right,  so  impossible  to  break  down  the 
greed,  prejudice  and  conventionalism  which  hedged  in  this 
system.  For  some  days  she  lay  with  closed  eyes,  inert  and 
plunged  in  reactionary  feeling  which  destroyed  hope  and 
courage.  But  not  for  long.  Her  spirit  rose.  She  felt  that 
she  must  give  her  work,  if  possible,  a  hearing  with  the 
best  minds  of  the  age.  She  must  leave  nothing  undone, 
which  even  remotely  promised  to  further  the  success  of 
her  book. 

Consequently,  she  occupied  her  time  for  several  weeks 
writing  letters,  and  when  the  book  appeared  sent  a  copy  of 
it  with  her  letter  to  the  English  Koyal  Consort,  Prince 
Albert.  There  was  another  to  Thomas  Babington  Macaulay, 
whose  father,  Zachary  Macaulay,  she  knew  to  have  been 
an  anti-slavery  laborer,  of  whom  Mrs.  Stowe  afterwards 
said,  "  whose  place  in  the  hearts  of  the  English  Christians 
was  little  below  saintship."  Her  book  was  sent,  with  the 
hope  that  the  son  might  sympathize. 

Charles  Dickens  had  more  than  once  expressed  his  sym- 


UNCLE   TOM'S   CABIN.  105 

pathy  with  the  slave,  and  to  him  she  wrote,  sending  her 
book.  She  addressed  another  appeal  and  copy  of  "  Uncle 
Tom's  Cabin,"  to  Charles  Kingsley,  and  another  to  Lord 
Carlisle,  who  had  been  influential  in  giving  freedom  to  the 
blacks  in  the  British  colonies. 

"  Uncle  Tom's  Cabin "  was  published  in  book 
form  in  March,  1852.  The  despondency  and  uncer 
tainty  of  the  author  as  to  whether  any  one  would  read  her 
book,  was  soon  dispelled.  Ten  thousand  copies  were  sold 
in  a  few  days,  and  over  three  hundred  thousand  within  a 
year.  Eight  powerful  presses  running  day  and  night  for 
months  were  barely  able  to  keep  pace  with  the  demand  for 
it.  It  was  read  everywhere,  by  all  classes  of  people. 
Talk  of  it  filled  the  atmosphere.  Heated  discussions  occas 
ioned  by  it,  resounded  in  cottage,  farm-house,  business 
offices  and  palatial  residences,  all  over  the  land.  The  pity, 
distress,  and  soul-felt  indignation  in  which  it  had  been 
written,  were  by  it  transferred  to  the  minds  and  consciences 
of  her  readers,  and  the  antagonism  it  everywhere  engen 
dered,  threw  the  social  life  of  this  country  and  England, 
into  angry  effervescence  through  all  its  stratas. 

Echoes  of  its  clarion  tones  came  back  to  her  in  the  quiet 
home  at  Brunswick,  returning  as  they  had  struck,  the 
world  with  clashing  dissonance  or  loud  alarum  or  low  sweet 
tones  of  human  feeling. 

Letters,  letters  of  all  sizes,  colors,  direction  and  kinds 
of  chirography,  astonished  the  Post  Master  at  Bruns 
wick,  by  their  countless  numbers,  and  the  author  began 
to  feel  the  nation's  pulse.  Friends  applauded,  remon 
strated,  or  vociferously  deprecated  her  course.  Literary 
associates  praised  the  technique  of  the  story,  but  thought 


106  •  THE  LIFE  WORK   OF   THE   AUTHOR   OF 

the  subject  ill  chosen.  Abolitionists  wrote  with  irrepressi 
ble  enthusiasm,  and  praised  God  that  she  had  been  raised 
up  to  do  this  thing.  Politicians  angrily  expressed  their 
amazement,  that  her  husband  should  permit  her  to  commit 
this  incendiarism,  which  might  burst  into  a  conflagration 
that  would  dissolve  the  national  union.  Slave-holders 
heaped  reproaches  and  contumely  upon  her,  and  badly 
spelled  productions,  evincing  cowardly  ruffianism,  were 
taken  with  tongs  by  her  husband  and  dropped,  almost  un 
read  into  the  fire. 

On  one  occasion  Prof.  Stowe  opened  an  envelope  which 
contained  a  negro's  ear,  pinned  to  a  bit  of  card-board. 
Accompanying  this  sickening  thing,  were  a  few  words 
scrawled,  which  hinted  that  this  was  one  of  the  effects  of 
her  would-be  defense  of  the  "D — n  niggers."  This  was 
never  seen  by  his  wife,  as  it,  with  all  other  offensive  letters 
were  speedily  destroyed  by  him  in  his  anxiety  to  shield 
her  from  the  unpleasant  results  of  her  noble  work. 

A  friend  of  Mrs.  Stowe's  favorite  brother,  has  recently 
said  that  Hemy  had  threatened  never  to  read  "Uncle 
Tom's  Cabin,"  but  couldn't  help  it,  cried  over  it  and  wrote 
to  her:  "If  you  ever  write  another  such  book  I  will  kill 
you,  if  I  have  to  go  around  the  world  to  find  you.  You 
have  taken  more  out  of  me,  than  a  whole  year  of  preach 
ing.  I  wish  that  all  the  slave-holders  in  the  South,  and  all 
their  Northern  sympathizers  with  them,  were  shut  up  for  a 
century,  and  obliged  to  read  about  'Uncle  Tom.' " 

In  May,  1852,  Mrs.  Stowe,  very  much  in  need  of  rest  and 
recreation,  visited  New  York.  It  was  at  the  time  of  Jenny 
Lind's  second  visit  to  this  country.  She  was  the  idol  of 
the  hour-  Women  listened  to  her  matchless  voice  with 


UNCLE  TOM'S  CABIN.  107 

tears,  men  were  moved  to  irrepressible  enthusiasm,  which, 
found  vent  in  dragging  her  carriage,  heaped  with  flowers, 
from  the  Academy  of  Music  to  her  hotel.  Tickets  for  her 
concerts  were  bought  weeks  in  advance,  and  Mrs.  Stowe 
found  that  seats  were  not  to  be  had  at  any  price.  But 
somehow  the  young  Swedish  vocalist  heard  of  Mrs.  Stowe's 
application,  and  immediately  sent  her  tickets  for  two  of  the 
best  seats  in  the  house,  accompanying  them  with  a  charm 
ing  letter,  in  which  she  very  ingenuously  and  gracefully, 
thanked  her  for  the  pleasure  she  had  felt  in  reading  her 
wonderful  book.  The  letter,  with  its  delicate  hand  writ 
ing,  and  charmingly  fluent,  if  unconventional  English, 
remains  one  of  the  valued  souvenirs  of  the  woman  and  the 
time. 

The  cheering  testimony  came  in  from  fugitive  slaves, 
that  people  were  more  kind  to  them,  after  reading  "Uncle 
Tom's  Cabin."  In  one  respect,  however  the  author's  expecta 
tions  were  amusingly  controverted  by  facts.  She  had  rep 
resented  slave-holders  at  their  best,  had  taken  cognizance 
of  their  difficulties  and  limitations,  had  admitted  their 
noble  traits  of  character,  and  really  believed  that  while  the 
radical  Abolitionists  might  think  the  picture  altogether  too 
tame  and  mild  in  its  dealings  with  slave-holders,  her  book 
would  be,  as  a  friend  in  the  South  assured  her  it  must  be,"  a 
great  pacificator;  which  will  unite  both  North  and  South." 
To  her  astonishment  it  was  the  extreme  Abolitionists  who 
received  it  with  acclamation,  and  the  solid  South  who  rose 
up  against  it ;  and  so  far  from  leveling  and  smoothing  away 
the  differences  of  opinion  between  them,  it  drew  an  impas 
sable  line,  fixing  a  barrier  of  facts  upon  either  side  of 
which  must  all  the  people  array  themselves. 


108  THE   LIFE   WORK   OF   THE   AUTHOR   OF 

In  May,  1852,  Whittier  wrote  to  Garrison : — "  What  a 
glorious  work  Harriet  Beecher  Stowe  has  wrought.  Thanks 
for  the  Fugitive  Slave  law.  Better  for  slavery  that  that  law 
had  never  been  enacted,  for  it  gave  occasion  for  'Uncle 
Tom's  Cabin.'" 

In  a  letter  from.  Garrison  to  Mrs.  Stowe  he  said,  that  he 
estimated  the  value  of  anti-slavery  writing  by  the  abuse  it 
brought.  "Since  Uncle  Tom's  Cabin  was  published"  he 
adds,  "  all  the  defenders  of  slavery  have  let  me  alone  and 
are  spending  their  strength  in  abusing  you." 

Harriet  Martineau  wrote  sententiously  "  I  am  glad  to  find 
Mrs.  Stowe  is  held  up  to  execration  in  the  South,  along 
with  myself  and  Mrs.  Chapman." 

Alternating  with  and  accompanying  packages  of  letters 
from  the  illustrious,  the  celebrated,  and  the  wise  of  the  world 
were  irate  and  abusive  epistles  from  the  brutal  traders  and 
slave-holders  of  the  South.  Some  of  these  were  a  disgust 
ing  mixture  of  blasphemy  and  obscenity,  and  all  rang  with 
cruelty  and  brutal  invective. 

Kesponses  came  from  over  the  sea.  Mrs.  Stowe  was  in 
formed  that  Prince  Albert  and  the  Queen  had  read  her 
story  with  the  most  intense  interest.  Charles  Dickens 
wrote  from  London  in  July,  and  while  courteously  suggest 
ing  that  she  went  too  far  and  sought  to  prove  too  much — a 
natural  criticism  from  one  who  had  not  seen  slavery  as  it 
was  in  America — he  closed  by  saying:  "Your  book  is 
worthy  of  any  head  and  any  heart  that  ever  inspired  a 
book.  I  am  your  debtor,  and  thank  you  most  fervently 
and  sincerely." 

Macaulay  wrote,  thanking  her  for  the  volume,  assuring 
her  of  his  high  respect  for  the  talents  and  for  the  benevo- 


109 

lence  of  the  writer.  Four  years  later  the  same  illustrious 
author,  essayist  and  historian  wrote  to  Mrs.  Stowe:  "I 
have  just  returned  from  Italy,  where  your  fame  seems  to 
throw  that  of  all  other  writers  into  the  shade.  There  is  no 
place  where  'Uncle  Tom,'  transformed  into  'II  Zio  Tom,'  is 
not  to  be  found." 

From  Lord  Carlisle  she  received  a  long  and  earnest 
epistle  in  which  he  says  he  felt  that  slavery  was  by  far  the 
"topping"  question  of  the  world  and  age,  and  that  he  re 
turned  his  "deep  and  solemn  thanks  to  Almighty  God, 
who  has  led  and  enabled  you  to  write  such  a  book." 

The  Eev.  Charles  Kingsley,  in  the  midst  of  illness  and 
anxiety,  sent  his  thanks  saying,  "  Your  book  will  do  more 
to  take  away  the  reproach  from  your  great  and  growing 
nation,  than  many  platform  agitations  and  speechlfyings." 

Said  Lord  Palmerston,  "I  have  not  read  a  novel  for 
thirty  years;  but  I  have  read  that  book  three  times,  not  only 
for  the  story,  but  for  the  statesmanship  of  it." 

Lord  Cockburn  declares:  "She  has  done  more  for 
humanity  than  was  ever  before  accomplished  by  any  single 
book  of  fiction." 

In  December  of  the  same  memorable  year,  1852,  the 
Earl  of  Shaftesbury,  a  man  who  spent  a  lifetime  in  endeav 
ors  to  lift  the  crushing  burdens  from  the  laboring  classes 
of  England,  and  had  redeemed  from  the  slavery  of  the  col 
lieries  and  the  mines,  hundreds  of  women  and  children, 
who  were  degraded  almost  below  belief,  in  the  horrors  of 
their  situation  and  labor,  introduced  himself  by  letter  to 
the  author  of  "  Uncle  Tom's  Cabin,"  commending  various 
good  points  in  her  story,  and  testifying  to  his  realization 
from  experience,  of  the  truth  of  certain  characters.  He 


110  THE   LIFE   WORK   OF   THE    AUTHOR    OF 

waived  the  parti cularizati on  of  the  various  beauties,  "singu 
lar,  original  and  lasting,  which  shine  throughout  the 
work,"  and  assured  her  of  his  sincere  admiration  and  re 
spect. 

About  the  same  time  Mrs.  Stowe  received  a  letter  from 
Hon.  Arthur  Helps,  accompanying  a  review  of  her  work 
written  by  himself,  for  Fraser's  Magazine. 

Her  reply  to  this  letter,  having  been  shown  to  Arch 
bishop  Whateley,  elicited  a  letter  from  him,  complimenting 
her,  and  informing  her  that  he  had  negotiated  for  articles 
from  very  able  hands  upon  the  same  subject  for  the  "  Edin 
burgh"  and  "North  British"  Eeviews,  both  of  which  had 
a  wide  circulation  and  potent  influence. 

This  was  surely  most  welcome  evidence  that  the  book 
had  found  powerful  friends  and  sturdy  support  on  English 
shores.  Mr.  Sampson  Low,  afterwards  Mrs.  Stowe's 
English  publisher,  wrote  of  its  success  in  England,  saying 
that  from  April  to  December,  six  months  after  its  publica 
tion,  forty  editions  had  been  issued,  in  all  forms,  from  the 
handsome,  illustrated  one,  at  fifteen  shillings,  to  the  six 
pence  pamphlet.  lie  estimated  that  the  number  then 
circulated  in  England  and  its  colonies,  would  aggregate 
one  million  and  a  half. 

Meanwhile  the  book  had  found  its  way  to  the  North  of 
Europe,  and  among  the  precious  assurances  of  its  worth 
was  a  letter  from  sweet  Fredericka  Bremer  at  Stockholm. 
It  was  written  in  her  own  charming  style,  and  every 
sentence  seemed  to  have  been  fused  in  the  genial  warmth 
of  her  woman's  heart. 

The  Paris  Temps  has  recently  said :  "  Even  if  we  go  back 
to  Alexandre  Dumas's  '  Musketeers '  and  to  Eugene  Sue's 


UNCLE  TOM'S  CABIN.  Ill 

4  Mysteries  of  Paris '  we  still  find  that  *  Uncle  Tom  '  sur 
passed  them  all  in  the  intense  interest  awakened.  Every 
paper  and  publisher  in  Paris  wanted  it,  and  three  of  our 
dailies  published  it  simultaneously.  So  great  was  the 
popular  excitement  that  a  reader  of  the  Siecle  would  hurry 
out  and  buy  a  copy  of  the  Presse  in  the  hope  that  it  might 
give  more  of  the  unfinished  chapter." 

We  have  ministerial  authority  for  the  statement  that  the 
reading  of  Uncle  Tom's  Cabin  in  Paris  created  a  great  de 
mand  among  the  people  for  Bibles.  "  Purchasers  eagerly 
inquired  if  they  were  buying  the  real  Bible — Uncle  Tom's 
Bible.  The  same  result  was  produced  in  Belgium  and 
elsewhere.  Could  the  most  eloquent  preacher  do  more  than 
this  ?  " 

Henrick  Heine,  whom  no  one  could  suspect  of  such  pre 
dilections,  after  describing  his  gropings  and  flounderings 
amid  the  unsatisfactory  speculations  of  German  philosophy, 
tells  us  how  he  at  length  come  to  quit  Hegel  and  to  read 
the  Bible  with  Uncle  Tom,  finding  in  the  simple  faith  of 
the  poor  slave  a  higher  wisdom  than  in  the  great  philoso 
phers'  dialectics. 

Madame  George  Sand,  a  woman  of  rare  intellectual 
strength,  presented  it  to  the  reading  public  of  France  in  a 
glowing  review,  which  is  doubtless  one  of  the  worthiest 
tributes  to  the  author  and  the  work,  which  has  ever  seen 
the  light.  It  was  vital  with  spontaneous  enthusiasm,  and 
while  recognizing  certain  artistic  defects,  with  true  judgment 
as  to  the  essentials,  Madame  Sand  regards  these  as  noth 
ing,  in  comparison  with  the  persuasive  force  and  compell 
ing  strength  of  the  story.  George  Sand  declares  that  the 
children  "  are  the  true  heroes  of  Mrs.  Stowe's  work." 


112  THE  LIFE  WORK   OF   THE   AUTHOR   OF 

Ee views  and  critics  everywhere  were  speedily  busy  with, 
the  book,  discussing  it  from  standpoints  as  various  as 
human  opinions,  in  lights  as  many  and  different  as  the  im 
perceptible  gradations  of  the  prismatic  colors  or  the  shades 
between  black  and  white  which  Goethe  ingeniously,  if  erro 
neously,  took  to  be  the  scientific  explanation  of  color. 

Within  a  year  "  Uncle  Tom's  Cabin  "  was  scattered  all 
over  the  world.  Translations  were  made  into  all  the  prin 
cipal  languages  and  into  several  obscure  dialects,  in  num  - 
ber  variously  estimated  from  twenty  to  forty.  The  librarian 
of  the  British  Museum,  with  an  interest  and  enterprise 
which  might  well  put  our  own  countrymen  to  blush,  has 
made  a  collection  which  is  unique  and  very  remarkable  in 
the  history  of  books.  American  visitors  may  see  there, 
thirty -five  editions  of  the  original  English  and  the  complete 
text,  and  eight  of  abridgements  and  adaptations.  Of  trans 
lations  into  different  languages  there  are  nineteen ;  viz., 
Armenian  1 ;  Bohemian  1 ;  Danish  2  distinct  versions ; 
Dutch  1 ;  Finnish  1  ;  Flemish  1 :  French  8  distinct  versions 
and  2  dramas ;  German  5  distinct  versions  and  4  abridge 
ments  ;  Hungarian  1  complete  version,  1  for  children  and  1 
versified  abridgement ;  Illyrian  2  distinct  versions  ;  Italian 
1 ;  Polish  2  distinct  versions ;  Portuguese  1 ;  Roman  or 
Modern  Greek  1 ;  Russian  2  distinct  versions ;  Spanish  6  dis 
tinct  versions  ;  Swedish  1 ;  Wallachian  2  distinct  versions  ; 
"Welsh  3  distinct  versions. 

Of  the  "  Key  to  Uncle  Tom's  Cabin  "  there  are  seven  edi 
tions  in  different  languages,  of  works  on  the  subject  of 
"  Uncle  Tom's  Cabin  "  there  are  eight,  separately  published. 
Of  reviews  of  it  there  are  forty-nine.  But  this  list  is  by  no 
means  complete.  Many  editions  and  translations  have  been 


UNCLE   TOM'S   CABIN.  113 

impossible  to  procure,  but  the  English  speaking  world  owes 
thanks  to  Mr.  Bullen  and  his  coadjutors  for  their  successful 
collection  of  so  many  versions. 

In  Italy,  "  the  powers  that  be  "  published  an  edition  in 
which  all  allusions  to  Christ  were  changed  to  the  Virgin 
Mary,  "  a  piece  of  craftiness,''  says  our  authority,  "  that 
argues  better  for  the  book  than  for  its  mutilators." 

Many  foreign  publishers  and  translators  sent  their 
reproductions  to  the  author  and  in  the  library  of  Mrs. 
Stowe's  house  at  Hartford,  the  writer  has  seen  many 
most  interesting  and  curious  editions.  At  intervals  since 
the  publication  of  "Uncle  Tom's  Cabin"  the  author  has 
received  editions  of  her  work  from  the  most  unexpected 
sources,  and  the  more  interesting  ones  have  been  preserved, 
though  with  that  characteristic  lack  of  appreciation  of  her 
own  greatness,  and  the  carelessness  which  familiarity  and 
close  associations  with  a  famous  author,  seem  to  make  pos 
sible,  neither  Mrs.  Stowe  nor  her  children  appear  to  have 
invested  them  with  high  value,  and  when  asked  for  by  the 
present  writer,  a  few  of  them  were  found  after  some  search 
on  the  shelves  in  the  back  of  a  closet,  scattered  about  and 
in  imperfect  preservation. 

Among  them  were  specimens  of  several  of  the  French 
editions,  by  various  translators,  and  a  few  of  the  Ger 
man  issues.  There  were  numerous  Italian  editions 
Spanish  and  Cuban,  Dutch,  Swedish  and  Danish.  One 
from  Abertawy,  India,  in  the  provincial  dialect;  one 
in  Polish ;  and  two  which  were  found  published  on  the 
island  of  Java  in  the  Dutch  language,  an  18mo  pub 
lished  at  Sooraligia  at  the  east  end  of  the  island,  and  an 
octavo  brought  out  at  Batavia.  These  were  forwarded  to 


114  THE   LIFE    WORK   OF   THE   AUTHOR   OF 

Mrs.  Stowe  by  a  missionary,  the  Rev.  Samuel  W.  Bonney, 
who  found  them  in  this  out-of-the-way  place,  with  a  letter 
written  on  the  good  ship  "  Comet "  one  hundred  miles  south 
of  Java.  There  was  one  which  seemed  to  be  all  consonants, 
chiefly  L's,  Ws  and  Y's  in  the  Welsh.  This  was  illustrated 
by  George  Cruikshank  in  his  most  peculiar  style.  Those 
in  the  Russian,  of  which  there  were  several,  were  pictured 
with  the  most  astonishing  and  un-American  negroes  and 
drivers,  imaginable. 

There  is  one  very  rare  and  valuable,  in  Armenian, 
translated  by  one  of  the  monks  in  the  convent  at  Venice. 
The  hieroglyphics  which  convey  written  ideas  in  this 
language,  are  most  obscure  and  unfamiliar. 

There  was  one,  received  from  an  unknown  hand,  which 
is  in  a  language  of  which  the  family  had  no  information. 
Prof.  Stowe  with  his  knowledge  of  philology  could  not 
guess  at  it,  until  some  student  of  uncommon  lore  pro 
nounced  it  to  be  one  of  the  least  known  of  the  Hungarian 
dialects. 

Some  of  the  early  English  editions  were  quaint  and  inter 
esting  ;  one,  a  penny  sheet,  in  print  so  small  as  to  be  ruin 
ous  to  the  eyesight.  Other  cheap  English  editions  were 
more  attractive,  but  all  had  illustrations  which  were  in 
tensely  English,  and  convey  to  the  American  reader  no 
similitude  of  scenes  in  the  South.  Many  of  these  editions, 
numbering  some  seventy-five,  came  to  the  author  with  the 
compliments  of  the  publishers,  (it  is  not  recorded  whether 
in  many  cases  their  acknowledgments  went  so  far  as  the 
paying  of  a  royalty)  and  many  were  rich  and  costly,  while 
others  are  in  pasteboard  or  the  penny  sheet. 

The  Rev.  Dr.  Dwight,  an  eminent  American  missionary, 


UNCLE   TOM'S   CABIN.  115 

wrote  from  Constantinople  to  Prof.  Stowe  regarding  the 
Armenian  translation  in  September,  1855,  three  years  and 
one  half  after  the  publication  of  the  great  book,  as  follows : 

"  Uncle  Tom's  Cabin  in  the  Armenian  language  !  Who  would 
have  thought  it?  I  do  not  suppose  your  good  wife  when  she 
wrote  that  book,  thought  she  was  going  to  missionate  it  among 
the  sons  of  Haig  in  all  their  dispersions,  following  them  along  the 
banks  of  the  Euphrates,  sitting  down  with  them  in  their  towns  and 
villages  under  the  shade  of  hoary  Ararat,  traveling  with  them  in 
their  wanderings  even  to  India  and  China.  But  I  have  it  in  my 
hands  in  the  Armenian  of  the  present  day,  the  same  language  in 
which  I  speak  and  think  and  dream.  Now  do  not  suppose  this  is 
any  of  my  work,  or  that  of  any  missionary  in  the  field.  The 
translation  has  been  made  and  the  book  printed  at  Venice  by  a 
fraternity  of  Catholic  Armenian  Monks  perched  there  on  the  Is 
land  of  St.  Lazarus.  It  is  in  two  volumes,  neatly  printed  with 
plates,  I  think  translated  from  the  French.  It  has  not  been  in 
any  respect  materially  altered  and  when  it  is  so,  not  on  account 
of  religious  sentiment.  The  account  of  the  negro  prayer  and  ex 
hortation  meetings  is  given  in  full,  though  the  translator,  not 
knowing  what  we  mean  by  people's  becoming  Christians,  took 
pains  to  insert  at  the  bottom  of  the  page  that  at  these  meetings  of 
the  negroes,  great  effects  were  sometimes  produced  by  the  warm, 
hearted  exhortations  and  prayers,  and  it  often  happened  that 
heathen  negroes  embraced  Christianity  on  the  spot. 

"  One  of  your  former  scholars  is  now  in  my  house  studying  Ar 
menian,  and  the  book  I  advised  him  to  take  as  the  best  for  the 
language  is  this  « Uncle  Tom's  Cabin.'  " 

Good  Mr.  Thomas  Watts,  the  librarian  next  preceding 
Mr.  Bnllen  of  the  British  Museum,  the  one  who  first  sug 
gested  making  a  collection  of  the  various  editions  and  trans- 


116  THE   LIFE   WORK   OF   THE   AUTHOR   OF 

lations,  wrote  Prof.  Stowe  many  interesting  facts  regarding 
the  book  and  said : 

"  The  translation  of  the  same  text  by  thirteen  different  transla 
tors  at  precisely  the  same  epoch  of  a  language  is  a  circumstance 
perhaps  altogether  unprecedented,  and  it  is  not  one  likely  to  re 
cur,  as  the  tendency  of  modern  alteration  in  the  law  of  copyright 
is  to  place  restrictions  on  the  liberty  of  translators.  The  posses 
sion  too,  of  such  a  book  as  '  Uncle  Tom's  Cabin '  is  very  differ 
ent  from  that  of  such  a  book  as  '  Thomas  a  Kempis '  in  the  in 
formation  it  affords  to  the  student  of  a  language.  There  is  every 
variety  of  style,  from  that  of  animated  narration  and  passionate 
wailing  to  that  of  the  most  familiar  dialogue,  and  dialogue  not 
only  in  the  language  of  the  upper  classes  but  of  the  lowest.  The 
student  who  has  once  mastered  '  Uncle  Tom '  in  Welsh  or  Wal- 
lacliian,  is  not  likely  to  meet  any  further  difficulties  in  his  progress 
through  Welsh  or  Wallachian  prose." 

Thus  it  appears  that  this  book  was  destined  to  stand 
pre-eminent  as  an  educator,  not  only  morally  but  techni 
cally. 

It  is  related  that  during  the  season  following  the  publica 
tion  of  "Uncle  Tom's  Cabin"  a  kind-hearted  gentleman  was 
staying  over  night  at  one  of  the  New  York  hotels.  After 
retiring  to  his  room  his  attention  was  arrested  by  a  sound 
as  of  some  one  in  the  next  apartment,  a  strong  man,  sob 
bing  and  moaning.  With  occasional  periods  of  quiet,  the 
sorrowful  sounds  were  prolonged  even  after  he  had  gone  to 
bed.  At  last  moved  to  pity  by  the  evident  suffering  of  a 
fellow  mortal,  he  arose,  found  it  past  midnight,  and  going 
to  the  wall  rapped  upon  it  and  asked,  "  My  friend,  what  is 
the  matter  ?  Are  you  ill  or  in  any  trouble  that  I  can  re 
lieve  ?  Shall  I  call  for  medical  aid  ?  " 


UNCLE   TOM'S  CABIN.  117 

After  a  slight  pause  the  voice  replied,  though  choked 
with  convulsive  sobs,  "  No.  No,  a  doctor  wouldn't  do  me 
any  good.  I  am  reading  '  Uncle  Tom's  Cabin.' " 

"  Ah  1 "  said  the  good  man  who  was  a  friend  of  the  slave 
"  I  am  sorry — no,  glad.  Weep  on,  my  friend,  and  when 
the  time  comes,  act  upon  what  you  are  learning." 

Kufus  Choate,  the  brilliant  lawyer,  who,  from  his  quali 
ties,  was  naturally  conservative, — even  through  his  respect 
for  the  laws,  a  strong  pro-slavery  man — read  "  Uncle  Tom's 
Cabin,"  as  all  needs  must  do  who  would  be  informed  upon 
the  latest  and  most  powerful  condemnation  of  the  "  sys 
tem."  He  wept  over  it  in  spite  of  himself,  and  slamming 
down  the  book  exclaimed  angrily :  "  There !  That  will  add 
two  thousand  more  to  the  ruff-scuff  Abolitionists."  As  it 
proved  this  estimate  was  a  moderate  one. 

Seeing  that  the  great  desire  of  her  heart,  the  awakening 
of  the  Christian  people,  had  begun  as  a  direct  result  of  her 
work,  and  that  various  petitions  and  remonstrances  had 
within  a  few  months  poured  in  upon  Congress  from  the 
Middle  and  Western  states,  and  that  as  many  as  one  hun 
dred  and  twenty-five  remonstrances  had  already  appeared 
from  the  ministers  of  the  six  New  England  states,  Mrs. 
Stowe  conceived  the  idea  of  a  mammoth  Memorial,  so  en 
grossed  as  to  present  the  original  signatures,  and  heading 
of  each  petition,  protesting  "  in  the  name  of  Almighty  God 
against  the  proposed  extension  of  the  domain  of  slavery  in 
the  territory  of  the  United  States." 

She  suggested  it  to  Dr.  H.  M.  Dexter,  editor  of  The  Con- 
gregationalist,  through  whose  agency  the  heading  was  pre 
pared  at  a  meeting  of  the  Boston  ministers.  The  names  of 
3,050  New  England  clergymen  were  obtained  and  the  memor- 


118  THE  LIFE   WORK   OF   THE   AUTHOK   OF 

ial,  a  monster  petition  two  hundred  feet  long,  was  presented 
to  Congress. 

Charles  Sumner,  then  fresh  in  his  seat  in  the  Senate, 
thanked  the  ministers  for  their  interposition,  adding  in  his 
inspiriting  voice,  "In  the  days  of  the  Eevolution,  John 
Adams,  yearning  for  independence,  said,  'Let  the  pulpit 
thunder  against  oppression '  and  the  pulpits  ( thundered.' 
The  time  has  come  for  them  to  thunder  again." 

In  the  present  age  of  the  world  and  condition  of  literary 
criticism,  it  has  sometimes  seemed  difficult  to  understand 
the  phenomenal  popularity  of  this  work,  but  is  only 
because  in  our  supposed  familiarity  with  it,  we  have  for 
gotten  its  strength,  its  graphic  power,  its  deep  philosophy, 
its  rare  humor.  While  negro  slavery  has  receded  rapidly 
into  the  past,  in  the  more  than  twenty  years  since  the  proc 
lamation  of  Lincoln,  and  another  generation  has  come 
upon  the  stage;  while  we  are  in  our  turn,  absorbed  with 
the  burning  questions  of  the  present  day,  and  naturally 
prone  to  undervalue  those  that  are  past,  it  needs  but  a  re- 
perusal  of  this  great  work  to  carry  us  back  into  the  very 
seeth  and  foam  of  the  agitation  of  forty  years  ago.  It  is 
only  in  realizing  how  potent  it  is  with  its  readers  of  the 
reconstructed  Union  of  to-day — a  Union  which  is  fairer 
and  brighter  for  the  troubles  and  sadness  of  the  past — that 
we  can  estimate  the  momentum  which  this  intellectual 
work  carried  with  it  all  over  the  civilized  world. 

A  correspondent,  writing  of  the  tardy  abolition  of  slav 
ery  in  Brazil,  which  held  its  chattels  after  the  sister  repub 
lics  of  S.  America  had  given  them  freedom,  recently  says  : 
"Uncle  Tom's  Cabin"  is  a  book  that  still  goes  marching 
on.  Down  in  Brazil  the  emancipation  of  the  slaves  was 


119 

mainly  due  to  an  editor  who  kept  his  paper  red  hot  with 
abolition  arguments.  He  did  not  have  much  success  until 
finally  he  printed  a  translation  of  "  Uncle  Tom's  Cabin." 
Then  the  people  waked  up.  They  cried  over  the  story, 
and  raised  such  a  protest  against  slavery  that  the  govern 
ment  was  forced  to  abolish  it." 

Having  freed  her  mind  and  heart  of  the  weight  of 
anxiety  and  responsibility  which  bore  upon  it,  having 
eased  her  own  sympathies  in  great  measure  by  transfer 
ring  from  herself  to  her  army  of  readers,  the  freight  of  woe 
which  weighed  her  down  and  would  not  be  lightened  until 
she  had  spoken — Mrs.  Stowe  returned  quietly  to  the  duties 
of  domestic  life.  Her  baby  boy  then  a  year  old,  proceeded 
with  the  succession  of  small  ailments  which  infantile  man 
finds  ready  to  meet  him  in  this  difficult  world.  The 
dreaded  crisis  of  teething  in  the  second  summer  was  upon 
him,  the  older  children  demanded  constant  attention,  and 
the  mother's  sewing  was  sadly  in  arrears.  The  two  older 
daughters,  nearly  fifteen  years  of  age,  were  entering  young 
womanhood  with  alert  and  quickened  senses,  their  even 
ings  were  spent  in  conversation  and  listening  to  readings 
from  the  best  English  authors  by  Professor  Stowe,  while 
the  little  mother  patched,  and  darned,  ripped,  turned, 
pressed  and  made  over  innumerable  garments  and  began 
to  think  of  sending  the  twin  girls  to  boarding  school. 

The  author  of  "  Uncle  Tom's  Cabin  "  knew  with  glad  sur 
prise,  and  a  sort  of  awe  of  her  own  performance,  of  the 
wonderful  sale  of  her  book.  She  received  and  read  hun 
dreds  of  letters  with  a  deep  sense  of  gratitude  that  the  good 
seed  had  fallen  upon  such  unexpectedly  rich  places.  With 
a  singular  modesty  which  she  has  ever  since  maintained — 


120  THE  LIFE  WORK  OF  THE  AUTHOR   OF 

a  modesty  which  was  superior  to,  and  not  to  be  lessened  by 
the  praise  which  poured  in  upon  her,  and  has  been  poured 
in  such  precious  measure  at  her  feet  even  until  now — Mrs. 
Stowe  never  thought  of  the  work  as  a  credit  to  her  literary 
powers,  but  only  with  an  humble  thankfulness  that  she 
had  been  chosen  the  instrument  by  which  God  had  unfolded 
the  right. 

At  the  end  of  the  first  six  months,  Professor  Stowe  one 
day  tore  open  a  letter  from  Mr.  Jewett,  the  publisher  of 
"  Uncle  Tom's  Cabin,"  and  found  enclosed  a  check  for  ten 
thousand  dollars,  which  the  sender  begged  him  to  accept 
as  the  first  installment  of  the  author's  royalty  on  "  Uncle 
Tom's  Cabin."  "  Why,  Harriet,"  said  he,  "it  is  more  money 
than  I  ever  saw  in  all  my  life." 

The  sum  which  was  now  in  their  hands  would  indeed, 
if  placed  at  the  usual  rate  of  interest,  yield  a  yearly  income 
which  would  largely  augment  the  salary  of  Professor 
Stowe.  It  meant  comfort,  intellectual  possibilities,  aes 
thetic  gratifications,  which  they  had  never  dreamed  of  as 
for  them.  The  next  six  months  brought  a  similar  sum, 
and  for  thirty-seven  years  the  income  from  "  Uncle  Tom's 
Cabin  "  has  not  ceased,  but  brought  not  only  the  temporal 
good  things  of  life  to  its  author  and  her  family,  but  the  com 
forting  assurance  that  the  heart  power,  the  spirit  of  love  and 
good  will  to  men  which  is  embodied,  still  thrills  responsive 
in  human  hearts,  still  carries  a  throb  of  pity  and  kindness 
to  a  million  breasts,  still  works  on,  imperishable,  as 
intrinsic  goodness  must  ever  be,  sweetening  and  brighten 
ing  the  world. 

In  answer  to  an  inquiry  made  by  the  present  writer  as 
to  the  number  of  copies  of  "Uncle  Tom's  Cabin"  sold 


UNCLE   TOM'S  CABIN.  121 

since  its  appearance,  Eev.  Charles  E.  Stowe  wrote  Dec. 
28th,  1887 :  "I  have  no  kind  of  a  notion  as  to  the  number 
of  copies  of  Uncle  Tom  sold  since  the  first.  Since  last  May, 
there  have  been  twelve  thousand  two  hundred  and  twenty  - 
five  copies  sold. 

"The  edition  is  completely  exhausted,  so  when  new 
copies  were  wanted  to  sell  at  the  Plymouth  Church  fair 
in  Brooklyn  the  other  day,  there  were  none  to  be  had." 

A  rough  estimate  shows  that  the  steady  sale  of  Uncle 
Tom's  Cabin  was,  in  1887,  at  the  rate  of  fifteen  hundred 
copies  a  month.  It  will  be  understood  that  Mr.  Stowe 
spoke  of  the  American  edition  alone. 

To  the  Hon.  Francis  H.  Underwood,  LL.  D.,  at  present 
United  States  Consul  at  Glasgow,  we  are  indebted  for  the 
following  account  of  Mrs.  Stowe's  first  visit  to  a  dramatic 
representation  of  "  Uncle  Tom's  Cabin."  Having  been  the 
projector  of  the  Atlantic  Monthly  and  then  acting  as  man 
aging  editor,  it  fell  to  him  and  his  wife  to  entertain  its  con 
tributors,  and  Mrs.  Stowe  was  the  recipient  of  many  cour 
tesies  from  them. 

In  the  winter  of  1852  or  1853  a  dramatic  version  of  "Uncle 
Tom's  Cabin"  was  performed  at  the  National  Theatre,  Boston — 
a  fine,  large  theatre,  in  the  wrong  place — that  is  to  say,  in  one  of 
the  worst  districts  of  Boston.  It  was  burned  a  few  years  later, 
and  never  rebuilt.  The  dramatization  was  not  very  artistic,  and 
the  scenes  introduced  were  generally  the  most  ghastly  ones  of  the 
painful  story.  Of  the  lightness  and  gayety  of  the  book  there  was 
no  sign.  The  actors  were  fairly  good,  but  none  of  them  remark 
able,  except  the  child  who  personated  Eva,  and  the  woman,  (Mrs. 
Howard)  who  played  Topsy.  Mrs.  Howard  was  beyond  compari 
son  the  best  representative  of  the  dark  race  I  ever  saw.  She  was 


122  THE   LIFE  WORK   OF   THE   AUTHOR   OF 

a  genius  whose  method  no  one  could  describe.  In  every  look, 
gesture  and  tone  there  was  an  intuitive  revelation  of  the  strange, 
capricious  and  fascinating  creature  which  Mrs.  Stowe  had  con 
ceived. 

I  asked  Mrs.  Stowe  to  go  with  me  to  see  the  play.  She  had 
some  natural  reluctance,  considering  the  position  her  father  had 
taken  against  the  theatre,  and  considering  the  position  of  her  hus 
band  as  a  preacher ;  but  she  also  had  some  curiosity  as  a  woman 
and  as  an  author  to  see  in  flesh  and  blood  the  creations  of  her 
imagination.  I  think  she  told  me  she  had  never  been  in  a  theatre 
in  her  life.  I  procured  the  manager's  box,  and  we  entered  pri 
vately,  she  being  well  muffled.  She  sat  in  the  shade  of  the  cur 
tains  of  our  box,  and  watched  the  play  attentively.  I  never  saw 
such  delight  upon  a  human  face  as  she  displayed  when  she  first 
comprehended  the  full  power  of  Mrs.  Howard's  Topsy.  She 
scarcely  spoke  during  the  evening ;  but  her  expression  was  elo 
quent, — smiles  and  tears  succeeding  each  other  through  the 
whole. 

It  must  have  been  for  her  a  thrilling  experience  to  see  her 
thoughts  bodied  upon  the  stage,  at  a  time  when  any  dramatic 
representation  must  have  been  to  her  so  vivid.  Drawn  along  by  the 
threads  of  her  own  romance,  and  inexperienced  in  the  deceptions 
of  the  theatre,  she  could  not  have  been  keenly  sensible  of  the  faults 
of  the  piece  or  the  shortcomings  of  the  actors. 

I  remember  that  in  one  scene  Topsy  came  quite  close  to  our 
box,  with  her  speaking  eyes  full  upon  Mrs.  Stowe's.  Mrs.  Stowe's 
face  showed  all  her  vivid  and  changing  emotions,  and  the  actress 
must  surely  have  divined  them.  The  glances  when  they  met  and 
crossed  reminded  me  of  the  supreme  look  of  Rachel  when  she 
repeated  that  indescribable  Helas!  There  was  but  a  slight  wooden 
barrier  between  the  novelist  and  the  actress — but  it  was  enough ! 
I  think  it  a  matter  of  regret  that  they  never  met. 

The  Eliza  of  the  evening  was  a  reasonably  good  actress,  and 


UNCLE   TOM'S  CABIN.  123 

skipped   over   the   floating  ice  of  the    Ohio  River  with   frantic 
agility. 

The  Uncle  Tom  was  rather  stolid — such  a  man  as  I  have  seen 
preaching  among  the  negroes  when  I  lived  in  Kentucky. 

It  was  afterwards  put  upon  the  stage  at  the  Boston 
Museum  in  a  more  worthy  presentation,  and  at  the  same 
period  ran  150  nights  in  New  York  before  packed  houses. 
Dramatic  versions,  from  those  on  the  grandest  scale  to  par 
lor  dialogues,  flooded  the  market,  and  thousands  who  might 
never  have  been  reached  by  the  book,  were  moved  and 
thrilled  by  that  potent  educator,  the  theatre. 


CHAPTEE  VI. 

PROFESSOR  STOWE'S  ACCEPTANCE  OF  THE  CHAIR  OF  SACRED 
LITERATURE  AT  ANDOVER  THEOLOGICAL  SEMINARY.  THE 
FAMILY  REMOVAL  TO  ANDOVER  IN  SEPTEMBER,  1852. 
THE  AUTHOR  OF  UNCLE  TOM'S  CABIN  AS  A  PRACTICAL 
MANAGER  OF  DOMESTIC  AFFAIRS.  HER  EFFICIENCY  IN 
HOUSE  DECORATIONS  AND  MILLINERY.  THE  "KEY  TO 
UNCLE  TOM'S  CABIN."  NINETY  THOUSAND  COPIES  SOLD  IN 
THE  UNITED  STATES  IN  ONE  MONTH.  MRS.  STOWE'S  PER 
SONAL  APPEARANCE  AS  GIVEN  BY  HERSELF,  AND  AN  INTI 
MATE  ACQUAINTANCE.  MRS.  STOWE'S  EUROPEAN  TRIP. 
HER  RECEPTION  AT  LIVERPOOL.  A  BREAKFAST  IN  HONOR 
OF  THE  AMERICAN  AUTHOR.  THE  CONGENIAL  ATMOS 
PHERE  OF  SOCIETY  IN  LIVERPOOL.  THE  MEETING  GIVEN 
BY  THE  LIVERPOOL  LADIES'  ANTI-SLAVERY  SOCIETY.  PRE 
SENTATION  OF  A  TESTIMONIAL  TO  MRS.  STOWE.  THE 
JOURNEY  FROM  LIVERPOOL  TO  GLASGOW.  DEMONSTRA 
TIONS  OF  SCOTCH  PEOPLE  AT  EVERY  STATION.  OVATIONS 
AT  GLASGOW. 

IN  the  summer  of  1852  Professor  Stowe  accepted  the 
chair  of  Sacred  Literature  at  Andover  Theological  Semi 
nary  as  successor  to  Prof.  Moses  Stuart.  The  family 
removed  from  Brunswick  to  that  place  in  September.  The 
"Stone  Cabin,"  which  was  tendered  to  Professor  Stowe  as  a 
residence,  was  a  bare  building,  which  had  been  used  by  the 
students  as  a  gymnasium  and  place  for  various  kinds  of 
124 


UNCLE   TOM'S  CABIN.  125 

practical  work  and  exercises,  and,  having  never  been  used 
as  a  habitation,  it  presented  but  a  cold  attraction  to  the 
new  Professor  and  his  family. 

Calvin  E.  Stowe  was  pre-eminently  a  scholar;  a  man 
whose  thoughts  were  ever  full  of  his  books,  of  his  projected 
themes,  of  his  forthcoming  lectures  and  literary  works. 
His  wife  was  the  practical  manager  of  the  affairs  of  the 
house.  She  energetically  undertook  to  make  the  stone 
building  fit  for  occupancy.  She  consulted  carpenters  and 
arranged  to  have  partitions  put  in,  closets,  cupboards  and 
shelves  made,  and  in  the  meantime  kept  busily  at  work  in 
other  ways,  all  tending  towards  the  making  of  a  home, 
which  the  professor  earnestly  desired,  and  appreciated,  but 
knew  little  how  to  aid  in  preparing. 

One  of  his  brothers-in-law  told  with  gusto  how  one  day 
he  was  going  down  the  street,  and  meeting  a  man  with  a 
load  of  lumber,  asked  him  where  he  was  going.  The  man, 
not  having  known  any  masculine  authority  in  the  business, 
replied  in  all  seriousness,  "I'm  takin'  it  up  to  the  Widder 
Stowe's,  she's  going  to  have  some  partitions  built." 

Her  mechanical  ingenuity,  which  was  strongly  supple 
mented  by  the  desire  to  make  things  about  her  comfortable 
and  pleasant  to  look  upon,  incited  her  to  buying  wall  pa 
pers,  which  she  assisted  to  lay ;  to  hanging  pictures  in  var 
ious  home-made  frames ;  even  to  going  so  far  as  the  con 
struction  of  couches,  improvised  from  long  boxes,  which 
were  cushioned  and  covered  with  chintz  and  gay  cretonnes, 
discovered  in  ancient  chests  among  the  family  belongings. 
She  made  chairs  out  of  barrels,  with  the  slat  seat,  stave 
back,  and  flour-y  bottom,  stuffed,  and  covered  with  cushions 


126  THE   LIFE   WORK   OF   THE   AUTHOR   OF 

arid  frills  of  pretty  cloth,  which  were  indeed  a  triumph  of 
upholstery. 

Dressing  tables  of  shallow  boxes  set  upon  the  side,  a 
shelf  or  two  put  in  place,  and  the  whole  covered  with  pink 
or  blue  cambric  and  shirred  with  dimnity  curtains,  made 
her  sleeping-rooms  dainty  and  fresh.  She  worked  with 
cheerful  enthusiasm  and  frequent  exclamations  of  satisfac 
tion  over  any  particularly  pretty  effect,  for  many  weeks,  un 
til  the  house  became  a  home,  its  bare,  uncompromising 
ugliness,  softened  into  tasteful  convenience,  and  comfort. 

Mrs.  Stowe  occasionally  made  trips  to  Boston  to  visit  her 
brother  Dr.  Edward  Beecher  and  his  lovable  wife,  who 
who  was  a  schoolmate  of  Harriet,  at  Hartford,  and  that 
lady  testifies  that  her  taste  in  millinery,  was  quite  a  marvel. 
She  visited  the  shops  and  after  making  a  few  inexpensive 
purchases  of  straw  braid  and  ribbon,  returned  to  fashion 
most  attractive  head  gear  for  herself  and  her  daughters, 
giving  the  bonnets  just  the  enviable  touch  which  is  com 
monly  supposed  to  be  only  possible  to  the  art  of  the  trained 
milliner.  This  administrative  and  artistic  ability  was  an 
inheritance  from  her  mother,  whose  achievements  in  going 
to  house-keeping  in  1800  in  the  house  at  Amagansett,  were 
thus  described  with  characteristic  Beecherian  humor,  by  her 
father :  • — 

"We  had  no  carpets;  there  was  not  a  carpet  from  end  to  end 
of  the  town.  All  had  sanded  floors,  some  of  them  worn 
through.  Your  mother  introduced  the  first  carpet.  Uncle  Lot 
gave  me  some  money,  and  I  had  an  itch  to  spend  it ;  went  to  a 
vendue,  and  bought  a  bale  of  cotton.  She  spun  it  and  had  it 
woven  ;  then  she  laid  it  down,  sized  it,  and  painted  it  in  oils,  with 
a  border  all  around  it,  and  bunches  of  roses  and  other  flowers 


UNCLE   TOM'S  CABIN.  127 

over  the  centre.  .  .  She  also  took  some  common  wooden  chairs 
and  painted  them,  and  cut  out  figures  of  gilt  paper,  and  glued 
them  on  and  varnished  them.  They  were  really  quite  pretty. 
Old  Deacon  Talmadge  came  to  see  me.  He  stopped  at  the  parlor 
door,  and  seemed  afraid  to  come  in.  <  Walk  in,  Deacon,  walk 
in,'  said  I.  <  Why,  I  can't,'  said  he,  'thout  stepping  on't.'  Then 
after  surveying  it  awhile  in  admiration,  '  D'ye  think  ye  can  have 
all  that,  and  heaven,  too  ? ' ' 

Meantime  Mrs.  Stowe  was  not  without  annoyance  from 
the  attacks  of  the  friends  of  slavery,  and  many  friendly 
critics,  questioned  her  grounds  for  the  manifest  she  had 
made.  In  the  winter  of  1852-53  she  therefore  devoted 
her  time  to  the  compilation  and  writing  of  a  set  of  argu 
ments  and  recorded  facts  concerning  slavery,  which  she 
called  a  "  Key  to  Uncle  Tom's  Cabin,"  wherein  were  set 
forth  her  authorities  for  statements  she  had  made.  It  was 
plainly  and  logically  done,  and  carried  conviction  to  many 
doubting  readers,  converting  them  from  their  idea  of  the 
work  as  a  strongly  sensational  story,  to  the  realization  that 
•every  page  was  grounded  in  demonstrable  truths  and  written 
with,  heart's  blood.  Mrs.  Stowe  declared  that  this  "  Key  " 
was  written  with  no  pleasure  but  rather  with  real  pain. 
She  averred  that  in  a  work  of  fiction  it  is  possible  to  find 
refuge  from  hard  and  terrible  realities  by  inventing  pleasing 
scenes  and  incidents ;  but  no  such  resource  was  open  to  her 
here.  It  was  to  be  the  cold  facts,  the  unvarnished  truth, 
and  necessarily  very  dreadful.  But  with  her  characteristic 
courage,  she  did  it  because  she  saw  it  was  needed  to  make 
complete  her  great  work.  The  book  was  selected  out  of  a 
mountain  of  materials  and  contains  documents  and  testi 
mony  furnished  her  by  legal  friends,  north  and  south.  She 


128  THE  LIFE  WORK   OF   THE   AUTHOR  OF 

asserted  that  her  object  had  been  to  present  the  truths  re 
garding  slavery  to  Christian  people,  to  show  what  had  been 
the  action  of  the  various  denominations  upon  the  question, 
and  to  place  it  in  its  true  light,  as  a  moral  and  religious  ques 
tion.  In  "The  Key"  she  proceeds  to  give  facts  which  crys- 
talized  into  the  various  characters  of  the  story,  and  takes  into 
successive  consideration,  the  personality  and  conduct  of  the 
types  which  are  called  "  Mr.  Haley,"  "  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Shelby," 
"George  Harris,"  "Eliza,"  "Uncle  Tom,"  "Miss  Ophelia," 
"St.  Clare,"  "Marie,"  "Eva,"  "Legree,"  and  all  the  others, 
with  the  correlative  facts,  incidents  and  actions  which  m  ake 
them  probable  existences.  Mrs.  Stowe  follows  this  with  a 
statement  of , conditions  to  which  a  large  array  of  facts  af 
firm,  introduces  a  "  Comparison  of  the  Koman  Law  of  Slav 
ery  with  the  American,"  continues,  in  a  chapter  entitled 
"The  Men  Better  than  their  Laws,"  thus  proving  to  the 
modern  critic  that  what  she  began  as  a  moral  and  religious 
exhortation,  had  intensified  to  a  political  feuilleton  of 
prodigious  strength  and  momentum.  In  answer  to  the 
good  men  who  took  refuge  for  their  evil  enactments  under 
scriptural  authority,  Mrs.  Stowe  next  draws  a  contrast  be 
tween  the  ancient  Hebrew  slave  law  and  the  modern  Amer 
ican  one.  In  this  exhaustive  research  she  was  materially 
assisted  by  her  husband,  Professor  Stowe,  who  in  all  the 
laws,  customs,  languages  and  literature  of  the  ancients 
was  a  close  and  erudite  scholar. 

The  chapter,  which  is  headed  "Slavery  is  Despotism," 
would  have  no  need  to  be  written  in  this  age  of  American 
civilization  and  moral  right  feeling.  It  is  strongly  signifi 
cant  of  the  change  which  has  come  about  in  the  United 
States  in  forty  years,  to  know  that  it  was  a  vastly  offensive 


UNCLE   TOM'S  CABIN.  129 

statement  to  thousands  of  people  in  our  land,  in  1853.  The 
book  contains  enough  facts  and  testimony  to  condemn 
any  institution,  and  there  is  little  doubt  that  this  work 
which  is  mathematical  in  argument  and  logic,  following 
closely  after  the  book  which  burned  with  feeling  and  meta 
physical  insights,  clinched  its  arguments  and  ever  afterward 
made  slavery  an  anachronism  in  the  civilized  world.  An 
enormous  sale  of  this  book  naturally  followed,  for  where 
"Uncle  Tom's  Cabin"  was  known,  it  was  read  with  avidity. 
Ninety  thousand  copies  were  published  in  the  United  States 
in  one  month.  For  years,  the  call  was  scarcely  diminished. 

With  the  interest  which  naturally  centres  about  a 
human  being  who  has  done  a  great  good  to  the  race,  moral, 
esthetic  or  intellectual,  people  at  home  and  abroad  began 
to  wish  to  know  something  of  the  personality  of  the 
woman  who  was  becoming  famous  in  every  land.  Among 
the  letters  coming  from  England,  many  of  which  had  given 
rise  to  pleasant  correspondence,  were  those  of  Mrs.  Follen, 
the  ardent  anti-slavery  lecturer,  the  contemporary  of  Har 
riet  Martineau,  and  of  late,  while  sojourning  in  England, 
the  intimate  companion  of  George  Eliot.  George  Eliot 
wrote  early  in  1853 — "  Mrs.  Follen  showed  me  a  delightful 
letter  which  she  has  had  from  Mrs.  Stowe,  telling  all  about 
herself.  She  begins  by  saying — 'I  am  a  little  bit  of  a 
woman,  rather  more  than  forty,  as  withered  and  dry  as  a 
pinch  of  snuff,  never  very  well  worth  looking  at  in  my 
best  days  and  now  a  decidedly  used  up  article.'  The  whole 
letter  is  most  fascinating  and  makes  one  love  her." 

Without  seeing  the  author  of  "  Uncle  Tom's  Cabin," 
George  Eliot  felt  the  force  of  her  genial  personality,  and  to 
those  who  have  known  her  well,  how  the  humor  of  this 


130  THE   LIFE   WOKK   OF   THE   AUTHOR   OP 

letter  appears,  accompanied  in  the  writing,  as  it  must  have 
been,  by  the  smile  in  the  bright  gray  eyes  and  the  comical 
contraction  of  the  mouth,  which  went  with  all  her  similar 
sayings!  It  was  hardly  excusable,  however,  this  little  laugh 
at  herself,  for  Harriet  Beecher  Stowe  had  a  face  which,  with 
out  any  feminine  prettiness,  was  frequently  beautiful  in  the 
highest  sense  and  she  possessed  various  personal  attractions 
which  might  well  be  envied  by  women.  Her  nose  was  shapely 
and  indicative  of  sensibility  and  courage,  her  eyes  were  strik 
ingly  bright,  intelligent,  searching  and  honest  in  their  expres 
sion,  her  hair  was  abundant  and  curled  about  her  face  and 
in  her  neck,  where  it  escaped  from  the  knot  in  the  back. 
Her  mouth,  the  most  characteristic  of  all  the  features,  was 
mobile,  with  full  lips,  which  contracted  into  the  funny  ex 
pression  just  mentioned,  when  she  saw  the  ridiculous  side 
of  any  event  or  made  ready  some  terse  answer  to  an 
amusing  sally.  She  was  scarcely  five  feet  high  and  spare, 
even  to  thinness.  Her  hands  were  small,  and  it  needed  no 
deep  student  of  palmistry,  to  see  in  their  shape  and  move 
ments,  clear  evidence  of  the  directness,  capability  and 
judicial  qualities  of  her  mind.  A  friend  who  knew  her 
intimately  during  the  years  of  her  greatest  literary  activity, 


Mrs.  Stowe  was,  like  all  people  endowed  with  genius,  variable  in 
her  moods.  She  was  sometimes  so  angelic  in  sweetness  that  her 
plain  face  was  fairly  transfigured ;  you  seemed  to  see  her  already 
in  beatitude.  At  other  times  she  was  depressed  and  moody.  I 
do  not  mean  ill  tempered,  but  either  dejected  or  apparently  indif 
ferent. 

When  the  "  Key"  had  been  put  to  press  in  the  spring  of 


UNCLE   TOM'S   CABIN.  131 

1853,  Professor  Stovve  suggested  to  his  wife  that  in  answer 
to  the  many  letters,  cordially  inviting  them  to  England, 
they  should  take  a  summer  trip  across  the  ocean  for  pleas 
ure,  rest  arid  recreation.  He  wanted  to  witness  her  enthu 
siasm  over  the  historical  monuments  of  the  old  world  and 
to  renew  with  her,  his  pleasant  visit  of  seventeen  years  be 
fore.  Their  daughters  were  at  boarding  school  at  New 
Haven,  the  two  older  boys  were  capable  little  fellows  of 
twelve  and  fourteen  who  would  take  pride  in  good  behavior 
under  the  charge  of  friends,  and  little  Georgiana  and  baby 
Charlie  were  placed  in  care  of  relatives. 

Professor  and  Mrs.  Stowe,  with  a  party  of  four  others,  Mrs. 
Beecher,  widow  of  George  Beecher,  and  her  son  George,  her 
brother  Mr.Wm.  Buckingham,  and  Eev.  Chas.  Beecher,  sailed 
from  New  York  for  Liverpool  about  the  first  of  April,  1853. 
After  a  voyage  which  was  called  "a  good  run,"  but  which 
proved  rather  unpleasant  at  least  to  Mrs.  Stowe,  who  suf 
fered  the  peculiar  aggravations  of  sea  sickness,  and  after 
wards  gave  a  most  amusing  description  of  it, — a  description 
that  proves  the  whole  world  kin,  under  the  unmerciful 
action  of  the  elements, — they  came  in  sight  of  the  Irish 
coast  and  saw  the  reef  where  the  Albion  was  wrecked. 
This  was  the  ship  which  was  sunk  carrying  down  every 
passenger  but  one,  a  distinct  memory  in  Harriet  Beecher 
Stowe's  mind,  having  engulfed  with  her  sister  Catherine's 
lover,  all  the  hope  and  brightness  of  her  father's  house 
hold.  Up  the  Mersey  they  sailed  to  Liverpool,  in  time  to 
hear  the  church  bells  of  Sunday  morning  pealing  their  call 
to  service. 

While  they  were  making  inquiries  as  to  the  best 
hotel,  they  were  accosted  by  a  young  gentleman  who 


132  THE  LIFE  WOKK   OF   THE   AUTHOR   OF 

introduced  himself  as  the  son  of  Mr.  Edward  Cropper  of 
Dingle  Bank.  Mr.  Cropper  had  been  one  of  the  most 
efficient  supporters  of  anti-slavery  in  Liverpool.  His  wife 
was  daughter  of  the  great  Lord  Chief  Justice  Denman,  who 
was  also  thoroughly  devoted  to  the  cause  of  freedom,  and 
their  whole  social  circle  was  composed  of  sympathizers  in 
the  cause  which  the  author  of  "  Uncle  Tom's  Cabin  "  had  so 
powerfully  espoused. 

Their  son's  wife  was  a  daughter  of  Dr.  Arnold  of  Eugby, 
and  sister  to  the  eminent  literary  critic,  whose  works  have 
become  classic,  and  who  a  short  time  ago  suddenly  died  while 
on  a  visit  to  her  at  "The  Dingle."  The  acquaintance  of 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Cropper  had  been  made  by  correspondence, 
and  Mrs.  Stowe  was  gratefully  impressed  by  their  hospita 
ble  greeting  and  invitation  to  their  home.  Much  to  the 
astonishment  of  the  Stowe  party  there  was  found  quite  a 
crowd  of  people  on  the  wharf,  who  seemed  to  direct  their 
attention  to  them,  and  bowed,  saying  "  Welcome  to  Eng 
land"  "Welcome  Mrs.  Stowe!"  and  made  a  double  line 
of  eager  figures  and  glad  faces  as  they  passed  to  the  car 
riage.  As  a  rule  they  stood  very  quietly,  and  looked  very 
kindly,  but  with  an  evident  determination  to  look,  which 
was  a  matter  of  wonder  to  the  Americans.  The  carriage 
was  blocked  for  a  time  by  other  vehicles  and  the  crowd 
pressed  about  the  carriage,  healthy,  rosy,  pleasant  faced 
men  and  women,  with  nothing  but  kindness  and  pleasant 
curiosity  in  every  face.  The  author  began  slowly  to  un 
derstand  the  import  of  this  assemblage  and  was  much 
affected  by  it,  saying  "It  seemed  as  if  I  had  not  only 
touched  the  English  shore,  but  felt  the  English  heart." 

Two  miles  out  of  town  was  "  The  Dingle,"  the  beautiful 


UNCLE   TOM'S   CABIN.  133 

home  of  their  unseen  friends.  Here  they  were  met  with 
the  generous  hospitality  for  which  England  has  always  been 
celebrated,  in  this  case  intensified  by  the  enthusiastic  interest 
and  unusually  demonstrative  feeling  which  had  been  aroused 
for  the  author  of  "  Uncle  Tom's  Cabin." 

But  this,  Mrs.  Stowe  did  not  fairly  comprehend  and,  as 
always,  unconscious  of  herself,  attributed  all  the  amenities 
to  the  natural  kindness  of  the  good  people  and  sat  down  in 
her  pleasant  apartment,  before  an  open  fire,  with  a  sense  of 
perfect  comfort  and  rest,  which  was  a  realization  of  home. 

With  her  passion  for  trees  and  flowers,  she  felt  a  very 
rapture  over  the  ivies,  and  climbing  vines,  which  were  so 
green  and  full  at  the  early  season,  and  looking  at  the  hedges, 
and  the  holly  trees  with  their  glossy  leaves,  the  American 
woman  said  to  herself  "Ah  !  Eeally  this  is  England !  "  She 
made  rapid  acquaintance  with  a  real  English  "robin  redbreast" 
which  is  not  half  as  large  and  debonair  as  our  bird  of  the 
same  name,  but  he  was  the  identical  "  cock  robin "  re 
nowned  in  song  and  story,  one  who  was  undoubtedly  a 
lineal  descendant  of  the  poor  fellow  whose  death  and  burial 
are  so  vivid  a  memory  of  our  childish  hours. 

While  the  Stowes  were  at  dinner  with  the  Cropper 
family,  who  in  consideration  of  their  fatigue  had  arranged 
a  quiet  meal  with  them,  a  sister-in-law  from  next  door, 
another  Mrs.  Cropper,  came  to  invite  Professor  and  Mrs. 
Stowe  to  a  breakfast  at  her  house  the  next  day.  After  a 
night's  rest  they  dressed,  remembering  the  invitation  to 
breakfast,  but  without  the  slightest  idea  of  anything  but  a 
quiet  family  party,  when  to  their  astonishment,  they  found 
assembled  a  company  of  forty  guests,  the  ladies  sitting  with 
their  bonnets  on,  as  for  a  call.  With  her  innate  grace  and 


134  THE   LIFE    WORK   OF   THE   AUTHOR   OF 

true  culture  it  was  impossible  for  Mrs.  Stowe  to  feel  more 
than  a  momentary  embarrassment,  at  customs  which  were 
strange  to  her.  The  Stowes  could  take  themselves  for 
granted,  and  with  the  ease,  begotten  of  quiet  self  respect  and 
consciousness  of  a  knowledge  of  the  great  essentials  in 
social  intercourse,  they  never  failed  to  impress  people  as 
being  well  bred,  and  grounded  in  courtesy. 

Mrs.  Stowe  took  her  seat  at  the  table,  by  the  side  of  one 
of  the  most  distinguished  divines  of  the  established  church  in 
Liverpool.  The  Eev.  Dr.  McNeile,  at  the  request  of  the 
hostess,  who  begged  him  to  express  to  Mrs.  Stowe  the  hearty 
congratulations  of  the  first  meeting  of  friends  in  Eng 
land,  in  a  few  cordial  and  sincere  words,  felicitated  her  and 
the  company  upon  the  advent  of  the  wonderful  book  she  had 
written,  and  earnestly  welcomed  her  to  the  ranks  of  their 
workers  for  the  cause  of  freedom. 

Mrs.  Stowe  was  much  surprised  and  moved,  and  with  the 
friendly  and  admiring  eyes  of  the  company  upon  her,  could 
only  bow  and  make  a  sign  to  her  husband  to  answer  for 
her,  which  he  did,  giving  a  brief  history  of  the  writing  of 
the  book  and  a  statement  of  the  condition  of  affairs  and 
public  opinion  in  the  United  States.  He  answered  various 
questions  put  by  Dr.  McNeile  for  the  edification  of  the 
company,  and  the  event  proved  a  most  interesting  and  prof 
itable  exchange  of  ideas  and  sentiments. 

In  rare  simplicity  and  the  unconsciousness  of  self  per 
sonality,  which  is  only  possible  to  great  souls,  Professor 
Stowe  and  his  wife  sustained  their  part  in  the  conversation 
to  the  ad  mi  ration  and  respect  of  the  company  and  received  the 
honors  of  the  occasion  with  a  quiet  dignity  well  befitting 


UNCLE    TOM'S   CABIN.  135 

an  eminent  professor  of  theology  and  a  woman  who  had 
written  the  greatest  book  of  the  day. 

When  the  breakfast  was  over  Mrs.  Stowe  went  to  the 
door  to  find  an  array  of  bright  eyed,  rosy  cheeked,  neatly 
dressed  children,  who  belonged  to  what  was  called  the 
"Bagged  School  "  of  Mrs.  E.  Cropper,  who  under  the  direc 
tion  of  their  teacher,  broke  out  into  a  cheer}'  song,  and  after 
some  interesting  exercises  evinced  great  eagerness  to  speak 
to  Mrs.  Stowe.  She  said  in  a  letter,  UA11  the  little  rogues 
were  quite  familiar  with  Topsy  and  Eva,  and  aufait  in  the 
fortunes  of  Uncle  Tom ;  so  that  being  introduced  as  the 
maternal  relative  of  these  characters,  I  seemed  to  find  favor 
in  their  eyes." 

There  were  speeches  by  some  of  the  guests,  and  the  chil 
dren  dispersed  with  enthusiastic  cheers. 

After  the  children  had  gone  there  came  a  succession  of 
calls,  which  lasted  until  dinner  time.  They  were  some 
from  very  aged  people,  veterans  in  the  anti-slavery  cause, 
and  from  every  one,  came  fervent  expressions  of  hope  for 
abolition  in  America.  It  was  not  until  after  dinner  that 
Mrs.  Stowe  was  able  to  take  a  quiet  stroll  in  the  grounds 
of  "The  Dingle,"  which  she  gladly  prolonged  into  the  long 
twilight.  Two  little  boys  joined  her,  offering  to  act  as 
squires  and  in  her  conversation  with  them  she  learned  that 
one,  was  Joseph  Babington  Macaulay,  and  that  Uncle  Tom 
Macaulay  was  a  prime  favorite  with  the  young  people. 
Again  the  wild  flowers  claimed  the  loving  attention  of  the 
daughter  of  the  Litchfield  hills,  and  she  noted  the  English 
daisy,  not  like  our  own  with  "  Its  wide  plaited  ruff  and  yel 
low  centre  "  but  "  The  wee,  modest,  crimson  tipped  flower" 
which  Burns  loved,  and  was  there  called  by  various  names, 


136  THE   LIFE   WOKK   OF   THE   AUTHOR   OF 

among  them,  the  mountain  daisy.  Then  there  was  in  the 
dingley  dells,  the  primrose  of  the  poets,  that  of  Wordsworth 
and  Motley  and  Shakespeare  and  all  the  rest ;  such  a 
flower,  Mrs.  Stowe  once  said  "  as  Mozart  and  Raphael 
would  have  loved."  The  blue  bell  and  the  gorse  or  furze, 
and  many  another  modest  plant  caught  her  observant  eye, 
and  was  welcomed  to  her  heart  which  throbbed  so  warmly 
for  every  creature,  and  increased  in  fervor  as  the  object 
was  modest,  or  by  others  undervalued. 

The  following  day  the  Stowes  were  driven  out  to  Speke 
Hall  and  saw  for  the  first  time  a  really  ancient  pile  with  its 
environs  full  of  historical  interest.  In  visiting  its  gloomy, 
armor-hung  rooms,  in  passing  through  its  haunted  chambers, 
peering  through  the  latticed  windows  and  looking  into  its 
cavernous  fireplaces,  stone  court  yards,  and  dried  wells 
Mrs.  Stowe  exclaimed  "  If  our  Hawthorne  could  conjure  up 
such  a  thing  as  the  "Seven  Gables"  in  one  of  our  prosaic 
country  towns,  what  would  he  have  done  if  he  had  lived 
here!" 

They  entered  a  congenial  atmosphere  in  the  society  of  Liv 
erpool,  for  the  anti-slavery  question  had  been  from  the  very 
first,  in  England,  a  deeply  religious  movement.  She  found 
it  difficult  to  make  the  good  people,  who  considered  it  a 
matter  of  Christian  principle,  understand  how  conscientious 
Americans  could  allow  political  considerations  to  overrule 
their  feeling  of  right  and  justice.  The  attitude  of  Christian 
ministers  at  the  South,  was  to  English  divines  utterly  incon 
ceivable.  How  much  more  inconsistent,  seemed  the  stand 
taken  by  the  people  of  the  North,  and  especially  New 
England ! 

The  author  of  "Uncle  Tom's  Cabin  "  explained  that  the 


UNCLE   TOM'S  CABIN.  137 

most  plausible  view,  and  that  which  seemed  to  have  the 
most  force  with  good  men,  was  one  which  represented 
slavery  as  a  sort  of  wardship,  by  which  an  inferior  race  was 
brought  under  the  watch  and  care  of  those  who  might  lead 
them  into  Christianity.  But  when  Dr.  McNeile  inquired  if 
religious  instruction  was  customary  through  the  South  and 
on  the  plantations,  she  was  forced  to  confess  that  although 
systematic  religious  instruction  was  enjoined  upon  the  mas 
ters  by  different  denominations,  the  poor  creatures,  naturally 
of  a  religious  temperament,  were  often  left  to  work  out 
their  own  salvation,  while  the  advanced  and  cultured  people 
escaped  the  twinges  of  conscience  by  shutting  their  eyes  to 
the  abuses  and  restrictions  of  the  system. 

Liverpool  had  originally  been  to  the  anti-slavery  cause, 
what  New  York  was,  at  the  time  of  Mrs.  Stowe's  visit.  Its 
commercial  interests  had  been  as  largely  implicated  in  the 
slave  trade,  and  the  virulence  of  its  opposition  to  the  leaders 
of  the  abolition  movement  was  as  bitter  and  -uncompromis 
ing.  But  slavery  in  England  had  been  abolished,  and  Mrs. 
Stowe  found  herself  immeasurably  cheered  and  encouraged 
by  the  social  upholding  of  her  prayerfully  pondered  con 
victions. 

Professor  and  Mrs.  Stowe  went  by  invitation  into  Liver 
pool  to  attend  a  meeting  of  anti-slavery  sympathisers.  It 
was  the  Liverpool  Ladies  Anti -Slavery  Association  and 
presumably  a  modest  affair,  but  to  their  surprise  they  found 
a  great  hall,  packed  with  people,  who  greeted  them  with 
prolonged  applause  and  the  Chairman,  A.  Hodgson,  Esq., 
opened  the  proceedings  with  an  address  to  Mrs.  Stowe, 
which  ended  with  a  very  remarkable  presentation.  He 
told  how  Lord  Shaftsbury  had  proposed  and  carried  through 


138  THE   LIFE   WORK   OF   THE    AUTHOR   OF 

a  plan  for  a  testimonial  to  the  author  of  "  Uncle  Tom's 
Cabin  "  and  stated  that  the  December  previous,  a  few  ladies 
met  to  consider  the  best  plan  to  obtain  signatures  in  Liver 
pool  to  an  address  to  the  women  of  America  on  the  subject 
of  negro  slavery.  The  expression  of  feeling  had  been  very 
general,  contributions  from  one  penny  upwards  having  been 
received.  There  were  twenty-one  thousand,  nine  hundred 
and  fifty-three  signatures.  Of  these,  twenty  thousand  and 
more,  had  been  obtained  in  Liverpool  and  the  others  were 
sent  from  London  by  friends  who  preferred  their  form  of 
address.  The  speaker  said  it  was  given  as  an  expression  of 
their  grateful  appreciation  of  Mrs.  Stowe's  valuable  ser 
vices  in  the  cause  of  the  negro,  as  a  token  of  admiration 
for  the  genius,  and  of  high  esteem  for  the  philanthropy  and 
Christian  feeling  which  animated  her  great  work,  "  Uncle 
Tom's  Cabin."  - 

Again  Professor  Stowe  arose  to  return  thanks  for  his 
wife.  He  spoke  eloquently  and  with  magnetic  force,  being 
often  interrupted  by  applause.  His  address  gave  abundant 
testimony  of  his  thorough  culture  and  clear  discernment  of 
the  signs  of  the  times.  His  account  of  the  feeling  in 
America  was  heard  with  intense  interest,  and  his  entire 
speech  so  befitted  the  occasion  and  charmed  the  hearers 
that  he  no  longer  remained,  even  in  their  eyes,  in  the 
shadow  of  his  wife's  greatness,  but  stood  forth  a  command 
ing  figure  upon  the  arena  of  the  world's  advancement.  He 
was  dignified  in  his  personal  appearance,  his  voice  was 
pleasant  and  his  language  well  chosen.  He  was  fifty  years 
of  age,  being  some  nine  years  the  senior  of  his  wife.  He 
was  of  medium  height,  with  a  well  proportioned  and  erect 
figure.  The  massive  dome  of  his  head  rose  high  from  the 


UNCLE    TOM'S   CABIN". 

ears  and  overhung  his  kindly,  piercing  eyes  with  heavy, 
slightly  grizzled  brows,  while  his  hair  which  was  thinning 
on  the  crown,  fell  in  soft  waves  upon  his  neck.  He  was  a 
grand  looking  man,  appearing  every  inch  the  eminent 
scholar  and  professor  of  Theological  Literature  that  he 
was. 

More  speeches  were  made  by  the  Rev.  C.  M.  Birrell,  Sir 
George  Stephen,  and  others,  all  replete  with  enthusiastic 
admiration  and  respect  for  the  American  author,  and  the 
joy  that  comes  from  interchange  of  intellectual  gifts  and 
kind  feeling,  with  worthy  confreres. 

Another  invitation  called  them  to  Liverpool,  to  a  meet 
ing  in  a  large  residence  of  Anti -Slavery  advocates,  and 
there  Professor  Stowe  being  called  upon,  made  some  signifi 
cant  remarks  on  the  general  subject,  and  suggested  that 
the  free  part  of  the  world  could  if  they  would,  withhold 
their  support  to  slavery  by  refusing  to  buy  the  cotton  which 
was  the  product  of  slave  labor.  His  ideas  were  seriously 
considered  by  a  number  of  guests  who  were  prominent  in 
the  Cotton  Exchange.  When  the  party  was  dispersing  the 
lady  of  the  house  told  Mrs.  Stowe  that  the  servants  had 
asked  to  see  her,  and  accordingly  she  held  a  brief  receptionr 
which  was  equally  gratifying  to  them  and  to  her.  They  had 
all  read  "Uncle  Tom's  Cabin"  and  were  full  of  sympathy, 
and  she  found  them  a  good  looking,  intelligent  class,  quite 
superior  to  those  employed  in  similar  service  in  the  United 
States.  Here  the  housekeeper  begged  for  her  autograph, 
which  was  cordially  given.  She  especially  remarked  and 
commended  their  manners  adding,  "  Everybody's  manners 
are  more  defferential  in  England  than  in  America,"  a  pro 
duct  of  the  monarchical  system  and  its  culture,  which  she 


140  THE   LIFE   WORK   OF   THE   AUTHOR   OF 

found  a  pleasing  contrast  to  the  independence  of  republican 
manners,  which  so  often  amounts  to  rudeness. 

The  day  before  leaving  Liverpool  the  Stowes  were  in 
vited  to  meet  the  ladies  of  the  Negro's  Friend  Society,  and 
when  they  left  the  city  a  large  party  of  ladies  and  gentlemen 
accompanied  them  to  the  station,  whither  flowers  and  other 
remembrances  were  sent,  by  numerous  admiring  friends. 
From  Liverpool  to  Glasgow  they  went  by  train,  and  as  they 
approached  the  Scottish  soil,  Mrs.  Stowe  began  to  feel  all  the 
affectionate  desire  to  tread  the  sturdy  earth  of  Caledonia 
which  had  for  years  been  an  ever  recurring  and  enthusiastic 
wish  to  her.  There  came  in  the  very  air,  and  in  the  look  of 
the  north  country  side,  the  vivid  remembrance  of  the  book 
of  "Views  of  Scotland,"  which  lay  upon  her  mother's  table, 
and  over  which  she  spent  so  many  happy,  dreamy  hours, 
when  a  child.  The  Scotch  ballads  began  to  tune  afresh  in  her 
a  mind,  the  songs  of  Burns  which  had  been  a  household 
treasure  since  her  impressionable  youth,  and  the  enchant 
ments  of  Scott,  which  were  joyfully  felt  in  early  years  but 
more  fully  realized  with  the  enlarged  powers  of  maturity, 
bore  in  upon  her,  inciting  an  ecstatic  anticipation  which 
she  half  feared  was  not  to  be  realized. 

They  left  Liverpool  with  hearts  a  little  tremulous  with 
feeling,  surcharged  with  the  sympatl^  and  precious  friend 
ships  they  had  formed ;  but  the  party  of  six,  which  just 
filled  the  compartment,  was  a  merry  and  an  intelligent  one, 
and  regrets  were  forgotten  in  present  and  anticipated  pleas 
ures. 

Mrs.  Stowe  remarked  that  the  sight  of  English  scenery 
gave  a  new  understanding  of  the  spirit  and  phraseology  of 


English  poetry  and  quoted  those  beautifnl  lines  from  Mil 
ton's  L' Allegro,  beginning — 

"  Straight  mine  eye  hath  caught  new  pleasures 

While  the  landscape  round  it  measures ; 
Russet  lawns  and  fallows  gray, 

Where  the  nibbling  flocks  do  stray." 

as  an  instance  out  of  many  passages  in  literature  which 
once  on  English  ground,  start  into  new  significance. 

Mrs.  Stowe,  fatigued  from  the  sight  seeing  and  feting  of 
the  past  week,  ensconsed  herself  in  a  corner  of  the  compart 
ment  to  sleep,  but  was  wakened  near  Lancaster  to  see  the 
castle  built  by  John  of  Gaunt  in  the  reign  of  Edward  III., 
and  soon  Carlisle,  (that  of  Scott's  ballad,  in  the  song  for 
Albert  Graeme  in  the  Lay  of  the  Last  Minstrel)  was  seen. 
Historical  reminiscences  came  thick  to  her  mind,  or  were 
discussed  by  the  party,  and  accounts  of  the  conversa 
tion,  in  which  merry  making,  humorous  observations,  and 
earnest  reflections  were  interspersed,  give  one  the  impres 
sion  of  an  ideal  traveling  party. 

Gretna  Green,  the  Mecca  of  English  runaway  lovers,  the 
scene  of  many  romantic  marriages,  sympathetic  Gretna 
Green,  which  has  winked  at  the  escapades  of  many  distin 
guished  wedding  parties,  was  passed,  and  they  were  on  Scot 
tish  soil.  This,  and  a  glimpse  of  Solway  Frith  naturally 
suggested  young  Lochinvar,  and  the  travelers  wondered 
how  many  authors  it  would  take  to  enchant  our  country 
from  Maine  to  New  Orleans  as  every  foot  of  ground  is  en 
chanted  there  in  Scotland.  The  sun  went  down  and  night 
drew  on,  but  they  were  in  Scotland  and  Scotch  ballads, 
Scotch  tunes,  and  Scotch  literature  held  sway.  They  sang 
"  Auld  Lang  Syne,"  "  Scots  who  ha'  wi'  Wallace  Bled," 
and  "  Bonnie  Doon  ''  and  then  changing  the  metre  came  out 


142  THE   LIFE   WORK   OF   THE   AUTHOR   uF 

strong  upon  "Dundee,"  "Elgin,"  and  "Martyrs."  They 
gave  full  range  to  the  enthusiasm  of  coming  to  Scotland 
for  the  first  time,  and  Mrs.  Stowe,  always  his  ardent  ad 
mirer,  sighed,  "  Ah,  how  I  wish  Walter  Scott  were  alive." 
At  Lockerby,  where  the  real  "Old  Mortality,"  that  is, 
the  person  who  stood  for  the  character,  is  buried,  the  train 
stopped  and  in  the  darkness  outside,  they  became  aware  of 
a  throng  of  people  and  broad  Scotch  tongues  inquired 
for  Mrs.  Stowe.  She  went  to  the  window.  There  were 
men,  women,  and  children,  and  hand  after  hand  was  ex 
tended  to  her,  while  hearty  words  of  welcome  came  from 
their  honest  hearts.  This  reception,  which  was  peculiarly 
grateful  to  her  who  had  so  warm  a  heart  for  this  country, 
affected  Mrs.  Stowe  deeply  and  she  says  she  shall  never  for 
get  the  thrill  of  their  words.  "  Ye're  welcome  to  Scotland," 
and  the  "Gude  nights,"  as  they  rolled  away  from  the  station. 
By  some  mysterious  divination,  people  at  other  stopping 
places  had  been  advised  of  their  coming,  and  the  responsive 
woman  shook  hands,  thanked  the  people,  waved  a  towel 
instead  of  her  handkerchief,  more  than  once  in  her  excite 
ment,  and  sat  down,  wiping  tears  from  her  glad  eyes,  amid 
the  irrepressible  exclamations  and  gratified  wonderment  of 
her  companions.  Many  times  through  the  night  were  they 
thus  pleasantly  aroused,  and  came  into  Glasgow  in  the  early 
morning  with  the  flames  from  the  great  chimneys  of  the 
numerous  iron  works  lighting  the  sky  with  a  lurid  glare. 
Sleepily  recalling  the  picturesque  times  when  the  country 
was  so  lighted  by  the  fires  which  the  marauding  High 
landers  had  set  on  various  hills  of  the  Lowlands,  and  the 
song  of  Khoderick  Dhu — 


UNCLE   TOM'S  CABIN.  143 

"Proudly  our  pibroch  has  thrilled  in  Glen  Fruin, 
And  Banmachor's  groans  to  our  slogan  replied ; 
Glen  Luss  and  Ross  Dim.  they  are  smoking  in  ruins, 
And  the  best  of  Loch  Lomond  lies  dead  011  her  side." 

They  were  driven  to  the  hospitable  mansion  of  Mr.  Baillie 
Paton,  and  speedily  fell  asleep  in  much  needed  rest.  They 
awoke  stiff  and  weary,  but  enjoyed  the  viands  set  forth  at 
a  Scotch  breakfast.  They  were  indeed  in  "the  land  of 
cakes." 

There  was  porridge,  and  herring  and  bannock,  and  besides, 
many  other  good  things,  but  these  were  quite  too  well  known 
to  be  considered  by  the  guests,  who  were  saturated  with  a 
Scotch  humor.  Their  host  was  a  member  of  the  city  coun 
cil  and  the  one  whose  speech  at  a  public  meeting  had  led 
to  their  invitation  from  the  Mayor  to  visit  the  city.  After 
breakfast,  callers  began  to  arrive. 

Among  the  first,  a  friend  of  the  family  with  her  three 
beautiful  children,  the  youngest  of  whom  was  the  proud 
bearer  of  a  handsome  album  containing  a  pressed  collection 
of  the  sea  mosses  of  the  Scottish  coast.  Knowing  Mrs. 
Stowe's  passionate  fondness  for  natural  beauties,  from  hill 
side,  or  meadow,  sandy  shingle  or  rock-bound  shore,  could 
anything  have  been  more  delicate  and  acceptable  ?  Callers 
came  and  went,  books  and  flowers  and  fruit  were  sent  in. 
Deputations  arrived  of  prominent  citizens  from  Paisley, 
Greenock,  Dundee,  Aberdeen,  Edinburgh,  and  Belfast, — 
every  man  full  of  deep  enthusiasm  which  yet  was  subdued 
by  the  dignity  of  his  position  and  the  importance  of  the 
occasion, — honest  whole-souled,  sturdy  men  they  were,  who 
pressed  her  small  hand  within  their  great  palms,  and  went 
away  moved  with  her  simple  manners,  and  the  fact  that  they 
had  spoken  face  to  face  with  the  author  of  "  Uncle  Tom's 
Cabin." 


144  THE  LIFE   WORK   OF  THE   AUTHOR  OF 

"When  the  street  door  was  not  swinging  with  coming  or 
departing  visitors,  the  postman's  ring  opened  it,  and  letters, 
so  many  that  it  took  Professor  Stowe  from  nine  o'clock  in 
the  morning  -until  two  in  the  afternoon  to  read  and  answer 
them  in  the  briefest  manner,  drifted  upon  them.  They  were 
from  all  classes,  high  and  low,  rich  and  poor,  the  cultured 
and  illiterate,  in  every  style  of  writing,  composition  and 
stationery ;  some  mere  outbursts  of  feeling,  many  of 
advice,  requests  for  locks  of  hair,  autographs,  or  written 
sentiments,  and  many,  many  invitations  to  go  everywhere, 
stay  any  length  of  time,  and  see  everything,  in  Scotland. 
Mrs.  Stowe  has  said  this  day  seemed  like  a  dizzy,  confused 
dream.  The  tax  upon  her  feelings  and  nervous  system  was 
even  greater  than  upon  her  physical  strength.  She  was 
overwhelmed,  and  quite  unnerved.  The  depth  and  inten 
sity  of  her  emotions  all  of  pleasure,  gratitude,  responsive 
sympathy  and  inexpressible  surprise,  amounted  to  an  unut 
terable  sadness,  just  as  joy,  when  in  expressible,finds  vent  in 
tears. 

She  afterwards  said  that  she  knew  that  she,  as  the  indi 
vidual  who  had  called  forth  such  an  outburst  was  altogether 
inadequate  and  disproportionate  to  it,  and  realized  that  it 
was  the  great  heart  of  universal  brotherhood,  surging  for 
ward  in  a  huge  sympathetic  wave.  That  she  received  it, 
was  the  accident  of  the  age. 

How  few  great  minds  have  so  modest  an  estimate  of  the 
importance  of  their  relation  to  worldly  affairs ! 

In  the  afternoon  Mrs.  Stowe  rode  out  with  the  Lord 
Provost,  who  is  an  officer  of  the  same  grade  as  our  mayor 
or  more  strictly  speaking,  to  the  lords  mayors  in  England, 
where  the  office  is  more  dignified.  On  the  way  the  streets 


UNCLE   TOM'S  CABIN.  145 

were  blocked  up  by  a  crowd  of  people  who  had  come  out 
to  see  her,  but  she  was  so  worn  out  she  could  only  bow 
occasionally  and  hardly  could  walk  through  the  cathedral. 
This  was  the  edifice  where  a  part  of  the  scene-  of  Rob  Roy 
is  laid  and  she  aroused  to  its  imposing  aspect  and  observed 
the  statue  of  John  Knox  on  the  opposite  eminence  "  with 
its  arm  uplifted,  as  if  shaking  his  fist  at  the  old  cathedral 
which  in  life  he  vainly  endeavored  to  battle  down." 

In  consequence  of  her  over  exertions  Mrs.  Stowe  was 
the  next  day  so  ill  as  to  need  the  attendance  of  a  physician, 
and  remained  in  bed  all  day,  uninformed  of  the  stream  of 
callers  and  squall  of  letters  which  came,  but  she  arose  and 
dressed  at  night  for  she  "  had  engaged  to  drink  tea  with 
two  thousand  people.'' 

Among  their  distinguished  new  found  friends,  were  Rev. 
Dr.  and  Mrs.  Wardlaw,  who  called  for  Mrs.  Stowe  and  took 
her  with  them  in  their  carriage  to  the  great  hall  where  the 
meeting  was  to  take  place. 

This  occasion,  so  unique  and  so  very  Scotch  in  many  of 
its  features,  is  worthy  of  a  description.  A  great  crowd  sur 
rounded  the  building,  through  which  they  with  some  diffi 
culty  made  their  way,  as  every  one  pressed  and  jostled  and 
bore  down  another's  shoulders  and  craned  his  neck  to  get  a 
glimpse  of  the  little  lady  who  was  the  object  of  so  many 
honors.  Yet  we  may  well  believe  that  idle  curiosity  was 
not  their  chief  impelling  motive.  It  was  the  author  of 
"  Uncle  Tom's  Cabin  "  which  they  had  all  read,  the  mother  of 
gentle  "Eva"  and  "St.  Clare  and  "Miss  Ophelia"  and 
"Topsy  "  poor  "  Uncle  Tom,"  whom  they  would  see,  even  if 
they  had  to  step  on  a  fellow's  toes  to  do  it.  For  that  offense 
could  be  righted  later,  and  the  chance  to  see  Mrs.  Stowe 
10 


146  THE   LIFE   WORK   OF   THE   AUTHOR   OF 

might  never  occur  again,  and  Jock  and  Sandie  and  Tullie 
and  Kobin  were  as  good  naturedly  rude  as  it  was  in  their 
kind  natures  to  be.  Could  one  be  much  offended  with  them  ? 
Surely  the  woman  whom  they  detained,  had  no  impa 
tience  in  her  heart,  at  this  most  flattering  annoyance.  Once 
inside  the  hall  Mrs.  Stowe  found  herself  in  a  dressing-room 
with  Mrs.  Wardlaw,  shaking  hands  with  a  great  many 
ladies  who  pressed  into  the  apartment.  They  then  passed 
into  a  gallery  fronting  the  audience  which  arose  with 
cheers  as  the  party  took  their  seats. 

Many  narrow  tables  were  stretched  the  whole  length  of 
the  spacious  hall,  which  were  set  with  cups  and  saucers, 
biscuit,  and  tea  cakes,  and  at  the  proper  time,  attendants 
passed  the  fragrant  decoction,  so  that  without  the  least  con 
fusion  they  all  literally  took  tea  together.  Mrs.  Stowe's 
table,  at  which  were  Mrs.  Wardlaw,  ministers  of  the  differ 
ent  churches  and  ladies  and  gentlemen  of  the  Glasgow  Anti- 
Slavery  Society,  under  whose  auspices  the  "  tea"  was  given, 
was  stretched  across  the  gallery  and  they  drank  tea  there 
41  in  sight  of  all  the  people/' 

Mrs.  Stowe  was  much  pleased  and  amused  by  the  unus 
ual  character  of  the  entertainment,  and  has  since  said,  "It 
seemed  to  me  such  an  odd  idea,  I  could  not  help  wondering 
what  sort  of  a  tea-pot  that  must  be,  in  which  all  this  tea 
for  two  thousand  people  was  made.  Truly,  as  Hadji  Baba 
says,  I  think  they  must  have  had  the  '  father  of  all  tea 
kettles  '  to  boil  it  in.  I  could  not  help  wondering  if  old 
mother  Scotland  had  put  two  thousand  teaspoonfuls  of  tea 
for  the  company,  and  one  for  the  tea-pot,  as  is  our  good 
Yankee  custom." 

After  tea,  the   whole   assemblage   sang  together  some 


UNCLE   TOM'S   CABIN.  147 

verses  of  the  seventy-second  Psalm  in  the  old  Scotch  ver 
sion.  Then  the  speeches  began,  the  Kev.  Dr.  Wardlaw 
leading  in  a  stirring,  and  witty  address,  in  all  respects 
appropriate  to  the  occasion  and  the  theme  of  nearest  inter 
est  to  every  one,  the  cause,  the  woman,  and  the  book. 

When  Professor  Stowe  rose  to  reply,  the  hall  shook  with 
vociferous  applause.  He  thanked  them  for  Mrs.  Stowe,  and 
when,  in  reference  to  the  book  which  had  so  wonderfully 
taken  hold  of  the  people,  he  said  he  could  not  imagine  how 
any  written  work  could  have  elicited  such  expressions  of 
attachment,  that  he  was  inclined  to  think  it  had  not  been 
written  at  all — he  "  spected  it  grew,"  the  tremendous 
cheers  from  the  two  thousand  throats  and  the  waving 
of  hundreds  of  handkerchiefs  testified,  as  no  assurances 
could  have  done,  to  the  familiarity  of  the  crowd  with  the 
book,  and  their  irrepressible  delight  in  the  character  of 
Topsy,  whom  for  the  moment  he  quoted. 

Dr.  Stowe's  speech  most  pleasantly  touched  the  various 
sensibilities  of  the  audience,  and  his  periods  were  always 
closed  with  cheers,  laughter,  or  earnest  cries  of  "  Hear, 
Hear."  More  speeches  followed,  and  a  second  service  of 
fruit,  grapes,  oranges  and  sweet  cakes,  was  served,  as  the 
tea  had  been. 

It  is  easy  to  see  what  a  strain  this  unexpected  and  over 
flowing  mead  of  praise,  this  constant  reception  of  good  will 
and  enthusiastic  friendliness,  this  spirited  discussion  of  the 
heart-breaking  issues  she  had  been  dwelling  upon  intently 
for  more  than  two  years,  must  have  been  to  Mrs.  Stowe, 
who  went  abroad  for  rest  and  recuperation  for  an  already 
over-taxed  constitution.  She  was  so  nearly  prostrated  that 


148  THE    LIFE    WORK   OF    THE    AUTHOR   OF 

she  withdrew  from  the  meeting  before  it. closed,  but  happily 
was  somewhat  resuscitated  by  a  long  night's  rest. 

The  next  day  they  rode  to  Both  well  Castle,  once  the 
residence  of  the  black  Douglas,  and  afterwards  to  the  famous 
Bothwell  Bridge  which  Scott  has  immortalized.  Then  to 
the  elegant  mansion  which  in  former  days  belonged  to 
Lockhart,  the  son-in-law  of  Sir  Walter  Scott.  In  this  house 
"  Old  Mortality  "  was  written.  After  their  return  from  the 
morning  excursion,  the  party  were  entertained  at  luncheon 
and  the  splendor  of  the  hot  house  flowers  which  adorned 
the  table,  elicited  Mrs.  Stowe's  special  admiration. 

In  the  evening  there  was  another  soiree,  proposed  by  the 
working  classes,  to  give  admission  to  many  who  had  not 
been  able  to  purchase  tickets  to  the  "  tea  "  of  the  evening 
before.  The  arrangements  and  entertainments  were  the 
same  as  those  of  the  previous  evening,  but  this  was,  if 
possible  the  more  interesting  occasion  to  Mrs.  Stowe,  as  it 
brought  together  just  the  class  she  was  anxious  to  meet. 
As  she  sat  in  the  gallery  and  looked  over  the  audience,  she 
saw  what  appeared  very  like  a  similar  gathering  in  America 
and  remarked  what  has  so  often  since  been  noted,  the  re 
semblance  of  the  Scotch  middle  classes  to  the  average  New 
Englander.  There  was  the  same  quiet  good  taste  in  dress, 
the  same  air  of  self  respect  and  honesty,  the  same  plain  and 
a  little  hard  featured  though  earnest  expression,  of  coun 
tenance.  It  is  only  in  the  middle  classes  that  peculiarities, 
and  national  differences  or  resemblances  can  be  traced,  for 
culture  and  the  highest  civilization  deprive  the  highest 
class  of  mind  of  nationality,  and  what  it  gains  in  cosmo 
politan  air  and  expression,  it  loses  in  characteristic  individ 
uality. 


UNCLE   TOM'S   CABIN.  149 

She  also  found  with  some  surprise,  that  Walter  Scott 
was  not  the  popular  favorite  they  had  supposed.  Allusions 
to  *'  Bannockburn,"  and  "  Drumclog,"  never  failed  to  bring 
down  the  house,  but  mention  of  the  great  Sir  Walter  met 
with  but  cool  response.  The  Stowe  party  discussed  this 
matter  afterwards  and  wondered  at  it,  but  came  to  the  con 
clusion  that  it  was  because  he  belonged  to  a  past  age  and 
not  to  a  coming  one,  and  that  hope  which  springs  eternal 
in  the  human  breast,  looking  ever  and  always  to  the  future, 
spontaneously  answered  to  the  voice  which  pointed  for 
ward.  Scott's  writings  partook  largely  of  the  spirit  of 
the  times  in  which  they  were  written.  He  was  inclined,  by 
the  leading  strings  of  family  and  ancestral  greatness,  to 
retrospection.  He  represented  one  pole,  that  of  aristocracy, 
while  Burns  was  at  the  apex  of  the  other,  or  represented 
democracy,  which  meant  humanity.  Burns  was  instinct 
ively  for  the  people,  as  Tolstoi  is  intellectually  and  relig 
iously  persuaded  of  their  needs  and  rights.  i(  Uncle  Tom's 
Cabin  "  combined  and  grandly  embodied,  this  living  sym 
pathy  with  all  men,  and  marvelously  touched  the  universal 
heart. 


CHAPTEE  YTT. 

MRS.  STOWE  IN  SCOTLAND.  SAIL  DOWN  THE  CLYDE.  ENTHU 
SIASTIC  EECEPTION  FROM  THE  COMMON  PEOPLE.  RECEP 
TION  AT  EDINBURGH  BY  THE  LORD  PROVOST,  MAGISTRACY 
OF  THE  CITY,  AND  COMMITTEES  OF  ANTI-SLAVERY  SOCIE 
TIES.  RECOGNIZED  BY  RIOTOUSLY  EXPRESSIVE  STREET 
BOYS.  THE  GREAT  EDINBURGH  MEETING,  AND  SCOTCH 
PENNY  OFFERING  IN  BEHALF  OF  THE  AMERICAN  SLAVES. 
INSCRIPTION  UPON  THE  MASSIVE  .SALVER  WHICH  BORE  A 
THOUSAND  GOLDEN  SOVEREIGNS.  HOSPITALITIES  AT  ABER 
DEEN.  GREAT  PUBLIC  MEETING  AND  PRESENTATION  TO 
THE  AUTHOR  OF  UNCLE  TOM'S  CABIN.  DUNDEE  OVATION^ 
AND  PRESENTATION  OF  WORKS  OF  LOCAL  AUTHORS.  AN 
OTHER  SOIREE  AT  EDINBURGH,  GIVEN  BY  WORKING  MEN. 
VISIT  TO  ABBOTSFORD,  DRYBURGH  AND  MELROSE  ABBEYS. 
THE  CAUSE  OF  FREEDOM  AND  TEMPERANCE  ONE  IN  SCOT 
LAND.  GREAT  TEMPERANCE  MEETINGS.  ARRIVAL  AT 
LONDON.  THE  LORD  MAYOR'S  DINNER.  DISTINGUISHED 
GUESTS  WHO  UNITED  IN  HONORS  TO  MRS.  STOWE.  DINNER 
WITH  THE  EARL  OF  CARLISLE.  LONDON  GIN  PALACES. 

On  the  17th  of  April  the  Stowe  party,  with  a  large  com 
pany  of  friends  which  quite  filled  the  small  steamer,  went 
for  a  sail  down  the  Clyde.  Dunbarton  Castle  with  the  ro 
mantic  shades  of  the  great  Wallace,  made  classic  by  the 
pen  of  Miss  Porter ;  the  Leven — the  identical  "  Leven 
water  "  of  song  and  story — the  old  seat  of  the  Earls  of 
150 


UNCLE    TOM  S   CABIN. 

Glencairn  which  recalled  Burn's  most  eloquent  "  Lament 
for  James,  Earl  of  Glencairn,"  and  then  old  Cardross 
Castle,  where  it  is  said  Kobert  Bruce  breathed  his  last, 
made  the  excursion  one  of  exquisite  delight  and  excite 
ment,  for  every  name  suggested  a  poem,  and  every  scene  re 
called  a  history  in  prose  or  verse.  Mrs.  Stowe,  who  had  a 
most  remarkable  verbal  memory,  needed  only  a  suggestion 
to  recall  entire  poems,  which  she  recited  with  excellent 
effect.  They  dreamed  of  David  Deans  and  Jeanie  and 
Erne,  and  half  expected  to  see  them,  hereabout.  They 
were  not  to  be  seen,  but  at  one  of  the  landings  there  pre 
sented  himself,  a  broad-shouldered  Scotch  farmer  who  stood 
some  six  feet  two  inches  in  height,  who  told  Mrs.  Stowe 
he  had  read  her  book  and  had  walked  six  miles  to  see  her, 
and  declared  he  "  would  do  it  any  day."  So  massive  and  pon 
derous  did  he  seem,  that  he  represented  not  illy  a  bit  of  the 
rugged  landscape,  as  if  the  very  rocks  and  burns  had  come 
to  greet  her.  She  said — "  When  I  put  my  hand  into  his 
great  prairie  of  a  palm,  I  was  as  a  grasshopper  in  my  own 
eyes."  He  was  one  of  the  Duke  of  Argyle's  farmers  and, 
she  thought,  were  all  his  henchmen  of  this  pattern  he  might 
be  able  to  speak  to  the  enemy  in  the  gates,  to  some  purpose. 
They  landed  at  Gare  Loch,  which  is  but  a  bay  made  by 
a  widening  of  the  river  Clyde,  and  went  through  the  little 
village  of  Eow.  As  they  walked  along,  a  carriage  which 
came  after  them,  stopped  and  a  bunch  of  primroses  fell  at 
Mrs.  Stowe's  feet.  She  picked  it  up,  and  turning  saw  two 
ladies,  who  asked  if  she  were  the  author  of  "  Uncle  Tom's 
Cabin  ! "  Being  answered  in  the  affirmative,  they  begged  her 
so  earnestly  and  gracefully  to  come  under  their  roof  and  take 
refreshment,  that  leaving  the  rest  of  the  party,  Professor  and 


152  THE   LIFE   WORK   OF   TEE   AUTHOR  OF 

Mrs.  Stowe  entered  the  carriage  and  were  driven  to  a  charm 
ing  villa  which,  surrounded  by  flower  gardens  and  pleasure 
grounds,  stood  at  the  head  of  the  lake.  Their  hostesses  told 
her  that  being  much  confined  to  the  house  by  illness  and  one 
by  lameness,  they  never  expected  to  see  her,  but  considered 
this  encounter  nothing  less  than  Providential  kindness  to 
them.  Seeing  that  she  needed  rest,  they  made  her  retire 
to  a  cozy  bedroom,  where  in  absolute  quiet,  so  grateful  to 
her  tired  senses,  she  slept  for  a  time. 

Leaving  Row,  it  was  decided  that  they  would  ride  back 
to  Glasgow  through  the  places  which  line  the  river  side,  and 
Dr.  Eobson  and  Lady  Anderson  were  their  carriage  com 
panions.  Mrs.  Stowe  has  humorously  narrated  how  awk 
wardly  she  acquired  the  custom  of  addressing  people  by 
their  titles,  and  says  she  usually  said  "  Mr."  or  "  Mrs."  and 
then  begged  pardon,  and  corrected  it  to  "  Lord  "  or  "  Lady," 
making  a  general  hitch  in  the  conversation.  Lady  Ander 
son,  who  was  a  hearty,  genial  Scotch  woman,  appreciated 
her  difficulty  and  quite  enjoyed  the  mistakes,  entering 
mirthfully  into  the  spirit  of  the  hour,  which  was  all  of 
pleasantness  and  good  feeling.  News  of  their  coming  pre 
ceded  them  along  the  way,  and  people  appeared  at  their 
doors,  bowing,  smiling,  waving  their  handkerchiefs,  and 
many  times  was  the  carriage  stopped  by  burly  men,  and 
blushing  women,  who  would  shake  hands ;  and  young  girls 
.and  children,  who  literally  heaped  the  carriage  with 
ilowers. 

Was  there  ever  anything  like  it  ?  Had  any  beautiful 
queen  a  more  triumphal  passage  through  a  country,  than 
this  plain  American  woman,  in  her  happy  journey  through 
Scotland  ?  It  was  a  queenship  by  Divine  right,  indeed  1  A 


UNCLE   TOM'S  CABIN.  153 

spontaneous  crowning  of  one  who  stood  upon  a  throne 
made  of  the  hearts  of  the  people,  which  were  so  willingly 
cast  at  her  feet  at  the  touch  of  love  and  sympathy  for  all 
men,  which  breathed  throughout  her  wonderful  work  ! 

At  every  village,  and  at  wayside  inns,  they  found  people 
waiting  to  see  them  pass,  and  food  and  drink  enough  for 
the  most  giantesque  gourmand,  were  offered  and  pressed 
upon  them  at  scores  of  hospitable  houses,  whose  inmates 
came  into  the  road  to  speak  to  them.  Mrs.  Stowe  has  said 
of  this  welcome:  "What  pleased  me  was,  that  it  was  not 
mainly  from  the  rich,  nor  the  great,  but  the  plain  common 
people.  The  butcher  came  out  of  his  stall,  and  the  baker 
from  his  shop,  the  miller  dusty  with  his  flour,  and  the 
blooming  comely  young  mother  with  her  baby  in  her  arms, 
all  smiling  and  bowing  with  that  hearty  intelligent  friendly 
look,  as  if  they  knew  we  would  be  glad  to  see  them." 

Was  it  strange?  Had  they  not  abundant  assurance  of 
that,  in  the  spirit  and  tone  of  her  written  characters  ?  Had 
it  not  "been  felt  in  these  organ  tones  of  deep  feeling,  which 
set  vibrating  the  delicate  sympathetic  strings,  which  are 
common  to  all  classes  ?  Sunday  was  a  day  of  rest,  mostly 
.spent  in  bed  by  Mrs.  Stowe,  though  at  evening  she  strolled 
out  with  her  husband  along  the  river  Kelvin,  quite  to  its 
junction  with  the  Clyde.  They  looked  over  to  the  south 
and  imagined,  far  out  of  sight,  the  cottage  of  Burns  on  the 
bonny  banks  of  Ayr. 

The  Stowes  left  Glasgow  and  reached  Edinburgh  after  a 
two  hours  ride.  At  the  station  was  a  great  crowd  of 
people,  among  whom,  like  white  flecks  upon  a  summer 
cloud,  appeared  white  bonnets  and  the  drab  dresses  of  many 
Eriends.  The  lord  provost  or  mayor  met  them  at  the  door 


154  THE   LIFE   WORK   OP  THE    AUTHOR   OF 

of  the  car  and  presented  them  to  the  magistracy  of  the  city, 
and  the  committees  of  the  Anti- Slavery  societies.  They 
entered  the  carriage  with  the  lord  provost  and  their  hostess 
Mrs.  Wigham,  and  drove  away,  with  the  crowd  following 
with  shouts  and  cheers.  They  drove  to  the  Castle,  to 
Holyrood,  to  the  University,  to  the  hospitals,  and  through 
many  of  the  principal  streets,  and  met  every  where  loud  and 
enthusiastic  greetings  from  the  people,  while  some  boys, 
with  the  pertinacious  and  enterprising  spirit  of  our  own 
modern  street  urchins,  for  a  long  time  strove  to  keep  up 
with  the  carnage.  u  Heck  !''  cried  one  of  them  breathlessly 
to  his  earnest  companions,  "  That's  her  ;  see  the  curls." 

It  appeared  that  the  artists  and  engravers  who  had  met 
the  public  demand  for  her  pictures,  had  depended  prin 
cipally  on  that  feature  as  a  striking  characteristic,  and  the 
boys  rightly  thought  there  could  be  no  mistake  here.  The 
boys  ran  riot  that  da}r,  and  vastly  enjoyed  themselves  in 
giving  utterance,  to  what  must  have  equalled  the  suppressed 
vociferation  of  the  whole  city.  How  quick  are  they  to 
sense  the  public  feeling  !  how  nice  are  their  instinctive  per 
ceptions  of  false  pretenses  or  real  worth  I  how  embarrass 
ingly  free  are  their  expressions  of  opinion  upon  the  most 
personal  matters !  But  boys,  take  them  as  they  run,  have 
their  hearts  in  the  right  place  and  they  sprang  up  joyfully 
to  greet  the  author  of  "Uncle  Tom's  Cabin." 

Mrs.  Wigham,  with  whom.  Mrs.  Stowe  was  staying,  was 
most  thoughtful  of  her  health  and  nursed  her  and  ministered 
to  her  slightest  wish  with  tender  care.  The  family  were 
Friends,  who  without  ostentation,  enjoyed  all  that  wealth 
and  culture  could  bring  to  home  enjoyment.  The  amount 
of  letters  found  waiting  for  them  in  Edinburgh  was,  if  any- 


UNCLE   TOM  S   CABIN. 

thing,  more  appalling  than  that  in  Glasgow.  Among  them 
was  one  from  the  beautiful  Duchess  of  Sutherland,  and 
another  from  the  Earl  of  Carlisle,  both  desiring  to  make 
•appointments  to  meet  them  when  they  came  to  London. 
There  was  a  very  interesting  note  from  the  Rev.  Charles 
Kingsley  and  his  wife,  and  from  many  other  distinguished 
people  and  divines,  and  scores  more,  which  were  chiefly  in 
teresting  as  indicative  of  the  public  rnind  upon  the  themes 
which  most  concerned  the  author  of  "  Uncle  Tom's  Cabin." 

One  was  from  a  shoemaker's  wife  with  some  very  fair 
verses,  many  contained  gifts,  others  accompanied  flowers 
which  they  had  learned  were  among  the  most  precious 
gifts  to  be  offered  Mrs.  Stowe. 

On  the  evening  of  April  20th  transpired  the  great 
Edinburgh  meeting,  accounts  of  which  filled  the  Scot 
tish  and  English  papers  for  some  days  after.  It  was 
in  some  respects  a  repetition  of  what  had  passed  in  Glas 
gow;  the  hall  was  surrounded  by  a  dense  crowd  who 
blocked  the  entrance  and  testified  the  same  respectful 
curiosity  to  see  Harriet  Beecher  Stowe.  The  dressing- 
room  was  filled  with  people  who  wished  to  meet  her,  the 
hall  was  packed  with  a  great  crowd  of  people  from  whom 
arose  such  a  thunderous  peal  of  applause  when  Mrs.  Stowe 
entered,  that  for  a  few  moments  she  was  stunned  and  al 
most  overcome,  but  recovering  from  the  strange  sensation, 
she  saw  that  every  one  looked  so  heartily  pleased,  and  felt 
so  sensibly  the  all-pervading  atmosphere  of  geniality  and 
sympathy  which  rushed  as  a  mighty  wind  to  meet  her, 
that  she  became  calm,  and  took  her  seat  with  a  new  happi 
ness  and  feeling  of  home  welcome.  Note  the  rare  simplic 
ity  of  a  woman  so  feted,  so  honored,  so  worshiped  by  the 


156  THE  LIFE  WORK   OF   THE   AUTHOR  OF 

whole  people  of  a  foreign  country,  who  wrote  to  her  friends 
and  believed  what  she  said — "  After  all  I  consider  that 
these  cheers  and  applause,  are  Scotland's  voice  to  America, 
a  recognition  of  the  brotherhood  of  the  countries." 

The  Lord  Provost  opened  the  meeting  by  reading  letters 
from  a  number  of  distinguished  people  who  were  unable  to 
attend,  among  them  Professor  Blackie,  the  Earl  of  Buchan, 
Dr.  Candish,  and  Sir  W.  Gibson  Craig,  all  of  whom  were 
earnest  sympathizers  and  regretted  their  enforced  absence. 
There  was  a  note  from  Lord  Cockburn,  so  full  of  genuine 
good  feeling  to  the  cause,  and  the  person  they  delighted  to 
honor,  that  the  meeting  broke  into  applause.  The  Lord 
Provost  then  proceeded  with  his  address  of  welcome,  which 
was  constantly  applauded  by  the  audience ;  spoke  of  the 
address  with  signatures  which  was  to  be  presented  later  in 
the .  evening,  and  also  of  what  they  had  chosen  to  term  a 
penny  offering,  in  order  that  none  might  be  deterred  from 
contributing  the  smallest  amount,  which  they  desired  to 
have  used,  through  her  instrumentality,  as  a  means  of  miti 
gating  the  horrors  of  slavery  as  they  came  under  her  per 
sonal  observation.  The  national  penny  offering  which  had 
been  poured  out  in  a  stream  of  small  sums,  had  amounted  to 
a  noble  tribute,  and  was  embodied  in  a  thousand  golden  sov 
ereigns  on  a  magnificent  silver  salver  which  rested  upon  a 
stand,  in  full  view  of  the  audience.  The  salver,  which  was 
a  massive  vessel  of  sterling  silver,  with  a  wide  border  on 
which  in  an  exquisite  design  were  twined  the  shamrock, 
the  rose  and  the  thistle,  as  typical  of  the  sympathy  and 
co-operations  of  the  people  of  Great  Britain  in  the  cause  of 
Anti-Slavery,  bore  upon  its  surface,  underneath  the  pile  of 
shining  coins,  this  inscription — 


UNCLE    TOM  S   CABIN. 


157 


'/£&  /  _jp/S 


Numbers,  Chap.  F/,,  Ver.  24,  25,  26. 


158  THE   LIFE   WORK   OF   THE    AUTHOR   OF 

The  Kev.  Mr.  Ballantyne,  who  presented  it,  gave  the  his 
tory  of  its  collection,  telling  how  the  people  of  all  grades 
and  classes  had  contributed  to  it,  many  of  the  thousands  of 
gifts  coming  from  the  homes  of  direst  poverty,  even  the 
blind  and  sick  bringing  their  penny. 

The  salver  with  its  golden  burden  was  received  by  Pro 
fessor  Stowe  amid  tremendous  applause,  and  his  speech 
that  followed  was  a  marvelous  exposition  of  conditions  in 
far  away  America,  and  the  principles  which  should,  and  he 
doubted  not  would,  in  the  future,  however  distant,  overrule 
the  sordid  love  of  gain  or  mistaken  political  honor  of  the 
people.  Mrs.  Stowe  left  long  before  the  meeting  was  over, 
and  from  excess  of  emotion  and  deadly  fatigue,  did  not  sleep 
at  all  that  night. 

It  may  be  said  here,  that  this  and  other  similar  "  offer 
ings,"  which  might  have  indeed  proved  an  embarrassment 
of  riches  to  a  traveling  party,  were  given  to  the  care  of 
friends  to  be  shipped  to  America.  The  money  was  judi 
ciously  and  conscientiously  employed  to  educate  several 
former  slaves,  and  the  vessels  of  massive  silver,  remain 
precious  souvenirs  of  these  occasions. 

One  of  the  following  beautiful  days  the  Stowe  party 
drove  out  to  Craigmiller  Castle,  formerly  one  of  the  royal 
residences.  It  was  here  that  Mary  Queen  of  Scots  retreated 
after  the  murder  of  Eizzio,  and  the  chroniclers  say  was 
heard  day  after  day  weeping,  and  wishing  her  unfortunate 
life  ended.  Here  Mrs.  Stowe  found  some  small  daisies 
which  a  young  friend  told  her  were  the  "  gowans "  of 
Scotch  poetry.  There  was  a  view  of  "Auld  Eeekie," 
Arthur's  Seat,  Salisbury  Crags,  and  far  down  the  Frith  of 


UNCLE  TOM'S  CABIN.  159 

Forth,  in  the  dim  distance  was  seen  Bass  Book,  the  cele 
brated  prison  where  the  Covenanters  were  immured. 

Bidding  Edinburgh  farewell,  they  took  a  train  for  Aber 
deen.  The  application  of  old,  poetic  and  historical  names 
to  railway  stations,  made  the  travelers  smile  and  Mrs. 
Stowe  recalled  the  humorous  lines  of  whimsical  Tom 
Hood,  on  a  possible  railroad  through  the  Holy  Land,  an 
idea,  by  the  way,  which  is  not  so  new  and  strange  to  us  of 
the  present  day,  as  it  was  forty  or  more  years  gone  by.  It 
was  quite  incongruous  to  ride  swiftly  up  to  a  neat  little 
station  and  hear  "Bannockburn"  called  out  by  the  guard, 
who  unlocked  doors,  bustled  about  on  the  platform  and 
.signalled  the  engineer  to  get  away,  as  unconcernedly  as  if 
just  here  were  not  the  Marathon  of  Scotland,  the  place 
hallowed  to  warlike  memories,  and  the  air  redolent  of 
superhuman  bravery  and  the  death  sighs  of  the  warrior 
slain. 

There  was  little  but  the  hills  and  rocky  glens  to  speak 
of  this  to  modern  travelers,  but  at  Stirling  still  stood  the 
castle,  magnificently  seated  on  a  towering  rock,  looking 
worthy  to  have  been  the  gathering  place,  as  it  was  for 
many  years,  of  Scotland's  brilliant  court.  Here  are  laid 
the  scenes,  described  with  the  minuteness  and  local  color 
only  possible  to  a  Scottish  poet  and  that  poet  Walter  Scott, 
with  his  full,  vivid  freshness  of  diction,  and  pictures  from 
the  "  Lady  of  the  Lake "  treasured  in  Mrs.  Stowe's  mind, 
were  realized  in  fact,  and  seen  as  something  long  familiar 
and  dear. 

Still  farther  on,  and  appropriately  surrounded  by  dark 
and  solemn  woods,  stood  Glamis  Castle,  the  scene  of  the 
tragedy  of  Macbeth.  Only  glimpses  could  be  seen  from  the 


160  THE  LIFE  WORK   OF   THE   AUTHOR   OF 

road,  but  those  stimulated  the  imagination  enough  to  tempo 
rarily  transport  them  back  through  the  ages  to  the  rude 
Saxon  period,  "  When  Knights  were  bold  and  Barons  held 
their  sway,"  when  witches  held  the  fate  of  clans  in  their 
warning  voices  and  castles  were  stormed  and  taken  by 
sheer  force  of  arms  and  personal  brawn. 

It  was  a  long  leap,  but  they  came  back  to  the  19th  cen 
tury,  the  Dee  was  soon  crossed,  and  the  city  of  Aberdeen 
was  reached  late  in  the  afternoon.  The  Lord  Provost  of 
Aberdeen,  met  them  (and,  by  the  way,  how  very  kind,  and 
gallant,  and  gifted  in  speaking,  were  all  those  Lords  Pro 
vosts  of  the  cities  of  Scotland,)  and  as  they  drove  to  the 
house  of  good  Mr.  Cruikshank,  a  genial  Friend,  who  was 
to  entertain  them,  he  pointed  out  the  places  of  interest,  and 
proved  Aberdeen  was  not  less  gracefully  represented  by  its 
public  officer  than  other  cities  of  the  land.  An  excellent, 
simple  supper  was  on  the  table  awaiting  them,  and  some 
haste  was  needed,  for  a  public  meeting,  another  great  dem 
onstration,  was  awaiting  them  at  the  city  hall.  They,  for 
some  reason,  enjoyed  this  occasion  with  peculiar  zest. 

Mrs.  Stowe  was  surrounded  on  the  stage  by  a  com 
pany  of  charming  young  ladies,  one  of  whom  presented 
her  with  a  beautiful  bouquet,  some  of  the  flowers  which 
made  a  part  of  it,  being  pressed  in  an  album  and 
treasured  even  to  this  day.  There  was  some  very 
animated  speaking,  all  ingeniously  contriving,  Mrs. 
Stowe  humorously  remarked,  "to  blend  enthusiastic 
love  and  admiration  for  America,  with  detestation  of  sla 
very."  The  coast  had  reminded  Mrs.  Stowe  of  the  rugged 
rock-bound  shore  of  the  state  of  Maine,  and  the  people 
whom  she  saw  at  the  Aberdeen  meeting,  seemed  like  the 


UNCLE   TOM'S  CABIN.  161 

plain,  strong,  warm-hearted  folk  of  that  New  England 
community.  Their  physical  make-up,  no  less  than  their 
moral  convictions  and  sympathy  with  Americans  who  had 
stood  up  for  right  against  oppression,  made  her  exclaim 
that  the  children  of  the  Covenanters  and  the  children  of 
the  Puritans,  were  indeed  of  one  blood. 

They  presented  to  Mrs.  Stowe  at  this  meeting  a  handsome 
offering,  in  behalf  of  the  slaves,  of  gold  coin  in  a  beautifully 
embroidered  purse. 

The  Americans  were  shown  the  town  the  next  day.  The 
Cathedral,  the  Bridge  of  Balgounie,  built  in  the  time  of 
Eobert  Bruce  which  has  a  weird  prophecy  connected  with 
it  and  was  written  of  by  Byron,  and  Kings  College,  were 
visited,  and  Mrs.  Stowe  made  a  study  of  the  industrial 
school  system  which  was  carried  on  by  philanthropic  peo 
ple  of  the  city.  She  wrote  letters  home,  explaining  mi 
nutely  the  operation  and  benefits  of  the  institution,  and  sug 
gested  that  it  held  many  valuable  ideas  for  American 
communities. 

They  bade  farewell  to  Aberdeen  with  real  regret,  and  on 
the  way  to  Dundee,  at  every  station  where  the  train  stopped, 
were  crowds  of  people  who  pressed  about  the  author  of 
"Uncle  Tom's  Cabin"  with  friendly  greetings,  with  thanks 
in  the  name  of  humanity,  with  blessings  upon  her.  Old 
Dundee  was  "  all  alive  with  welcome,"  and  they  went  with 
the  Lord  Provost  Mr.  Thorns,  to  his  residence,  where  a 
large  party  had  been  awaiting  them  for  some  time. 

Apparently  of  "meetings"  there  was  no  end,  and  one 
densely  crowded,  full  of  enthusiasm  and  conducted  as  the 
others  had  been,  was  held  that  evening  in  the  largest  church 
of  the  city.  When  they  came  to  the  closing  hymn  Mrs. 


162  THE   LIFE   WORK   OF   THE   AUTHOR   OF 

Stowe  hoped  they  would  sing  Dundee,  but  whether  from 
modesty  or  because  the  old  national  and  characteristic 
melodies  had  given  way  to  modern  ones,  she  was  disap 
pointed.  They  made  a  large  contribution  to  the  Scottish 
offering  for  the  succor  of  American  slaves ;  and  presented 
Mrs.  Stowe  with  a  handsome  collection  of  the  works  of  the 
authors  in  Dundee. 

The  next  morning  there  was  a  breakfast  party,  com 
posed  mostly  of  ministers  and  their  wives.  After  break 
fast  the  ladies  of  the  Dundee  Anti-Slavery  Society  called, 
and  later  the  Lord  Provost  took  the  American  guests  out 
in  his  own  carriage,  to  see  the  city.  From  Scottish  and 
foreign  papers  which  reported  the  proceedings  wherever 
Professor  and  Mrs.  Stowe  appeared,  are  gleaned  testimo 
nials  of  the  favorable  impression  every  where  produced  by 
the  personality  of  this  American  woman.  Her  sincerity, 
straightforward  plain  speaking  and  kind,  affectionate  spirit, 
took  strong  hold  on  the  British  heart,  and  the  exhilaration 
of  feeling  which  is  often  sadly  lowered  by  sight  of  and 
contact  with  an  idealized  personality,  was  deepened  and  in 
tensified  in  the  true  hearts,  who  saw  in  this  woman  one 
worthy  of  their  love  and  admiration,  in  all  respects  emi 
nently  satisfying  to  every  instinct  as  to  how  the  author 
of  such  a  book  as  "Uncle  Tom's  Cabin"  should  look  and 
speak  and  feel. 

They  returned  to  Edinburgh,  and  attended  another  soiree 
of  the  workingmen  of  that  city.  It  need  not  be  dwelt  upon, 
as  it  was  quite  of  the  nature  of  the  one  in  Glasgow  and 
served  to  show  most  gratifyingly,  that  the  class  who  were 
coming  into  decided  power  in  the  future  were  beginning  to 
understand  themselves.  Letters  were  received,  urging  Mrs. 


UNCLE   TOM'S   CABIN.  163 

Stowe  to  return  to  Dundee  and  Glasgow  to  attend  meetings 
in  those  cities,  but  the  lack  of  time,  and  the  limitations  of 
physical  strength,  obliged  her  to  decline. 

Professor  Stowe  and  Chas.  Beecher  had  agreed  to  go  back 
to  Glasgow  to  speak  at  a  Temperance  Meeting  given  by  the 
students  of  Glasgow  University.  Professor  Stowe  remarked 
that  the  address  tendered  them  there  was  "particularly  grat 
ifying  on  account  of  its  recognition  of  the  use  of  intoxicating 
drinks  as  an  evil  analagous  to  slave  holding,  and  to  be  eradi 
cated  by  similar  means."  The  rest  of  the  party  remained  for 
the  purpose  of  seeing  Abbotsford,  and  Dry  burgh  and  Melrose 
Abbeys.  Finding  herself  in  the  region  of  the  Ettrick,  the 
Yarrow  and  the  Tweed,  Mrs.  Stowe  instinctively  turned  to 
her  "Lay  of  the  Last  Minstrel,"  and  while  dreaming  over 
Scott's  lines — 

"  Call  it  not  vain ;  they  do  not  en, 

Who  say  that  when  the  poet  dies, 
Mute  nature  mourns  her  worshiper, 

And  celebrates  his  obsequies." 

the  guard  called  out  "  Melrose  "  and  they  found  it  rained. 
They  moved  with  some  haste,  for  they  were  to  "do"  the 
three  places  in  one  day  and  as  she  wittily  said,  "There  was 
no  time  for  sentiment;  it  was  a  business  affair  that  must  be 
looked  in  the  face  promptly  if  we  meant  to  get  through. 
Ejaculations  of  poetry  could  of  course  be  thrown  in,  as  Wil 
liam  of  Deloraine  pattered  his  prayers  while  riding."  Her 
account  of  the  visit  as  seen  in  a  letter,  is  a  delightful  com 
bination  of  the  practical,  reminiscent  and  appreciative,  of 
the  poetic  and  picturesque,  which  is  quite  unrivalled  in 
modern  travel  letters,  and  might  still  serve  as  the  pleasant- 
•est  guide  possible,  to  those  interesting  localities. 

Walking  back  from  Dryburgh  through  the  village,  they 


164:  THE   LIFE   WORK   OF   THE   AUTHOR   OF 

saw  a  knot  of  respectable  looking  laboring  men  who  con. 
ferred  together,  and  cast  curious  glances  towards  them. 
One  at  last  approached  and  asked  respectfully  if  that  were 
Mrs.  Stowe.  When  she  answered  they  all  exclaimed  heart 
ily,  "  Madam,  ye're  right  welcome  to  Scotland,"  and  stood 
with  hats  in  hand,  while  the  chief  speaker  begged  them  to 
do  him  the  favor  to  step  into  his  cottage  hard  by,  for  a  little 
rest  and  refreshment  after  their  ramble.  To  this  they  as 
sented  with  alacrity,  and  entering  the  neat  stone  house,  took 
the  comely  wife  by  surprise.  She  bustled  about  to  serve  a 
cup  of  tea,  meanwhile  lamenting  that  she  could  not  have 
had  the  best  room  open.  They  stayed  long  enough  to  talk 
pleasantly  with  the  husband  and  wife,  to  see  their  children 
who  came  rushing  in,  rosy  cheeked,  from  school,  and  hear 
that  they  all  know  Topsy  and  Eva,  the  book  having  been 
read  aloud  to  the  family  by  the  "  Gude  Mon." 

"  Ah  "  said  he,  "  such  a  time  as  we  had,  when  we  were 
reading  the  book ;  whiles  they  were  greeting,  and  whiles  in 
a  rage." 

Could  the  simple  Scotchman  have  more  perfectly  de 
scribed  the  condition  of  thousands  who  had  read,  and  still 
read,  the  book  ? 

The  day  after  they  returned  from  Melrose  they  spent 
riding  about  and  had  two  engagements  for  the  evening,  one 
at  a  party  at  the  home  of  Mr.  Douglas  of  Cavers  and 
another  at  a  public  Temperance  soiree.  The  Laird  who 
entertained  them  was  a  man  of  good  family,  a  large  landed 
proprietor,  a  zealous  reformer  and  a  devout  Christian.  At 
his  house  the  servants  assembled  in  the  main  hall  to  meet 
Mrs.  Stowe  and  the  Temperance  meeting  was  large  and  con 
ducted  by  distinguished  people.  All  the  clergymen  of 


UNCLE   TOM'S  CABIN.  165 

Edinburgh  were  there,  and  Lady  Carstairs,  Sir  Henry  and 
Lady  Moncrief,  Dr.  Guthrie,  and  Dr.  John  Brown,  were 
among  those  presented  to  her. 

In  Scotland  the  cause  of  freedom  and  temperance  seemed 
to  be  one;  quite  in  contrast  to  the  ideas  of  modern  apostles 
of  moral  as  well  as  physical  free  agency,  who  hotly  claim 
that  any  restraint  upon  a  man's  right  to  make  a  beast  of 
himself  through  alcoholic  intemperance,  directly  controverts 
the  sacred  privileges  of  humanity.  The  principle  of  con 
servative  non-interference  in  the  wrongs  of  mankind  "con 
stitutional  "  or  self  inflicted,  seemed  not  to  have  obtained  in 
the  British  Islands.  They  saw  not  the  reverse  side  of  a 
national  liberty  which  in  America  insisted  upon  (as  it  still 
insists)  perfect  liberty  in  soul-suicide,  while  then  hesitat 
ing  to  object  to  the  enslavement  of  a  whole  race.  They 
looked  with  clear  eyes  through  the  quibbles  which  often, 
envelop  a  vital  question,  straight  to  the  principle  of  the 
greatest  good  to  the  greatest  number,  which  is  God's  prin 
ciple  in  the  mighty  laws  of  the  universe. 

The  next  day,  Professor  and  Mrs.  Stowe  called  upon 
many  people,  among  them,  Lord  and  Lady  Gainsborough, 
who  was  one  of  the  queen's  household  then  staying  at 
Edinburgh.  They  called  upon  Sir  "William  Hamilton  and 
his  wife,  and  he  and  Professor  Stowe  were  soon  deep  in  dis 
cussions  on  German,  English,  Scotch  and  American  meta 
physics  in  which  Dr.  Stowe  had  a  remarkable  insight  and 
was  particularly  well  versed.  Mrs.  Stowe  says  that  every 
where  in  good  society,  the  conversation  turned  upon  the 
condition  of  the  laboring  classes,  and  ideas  and  plans  for 
their  education  and  moral  betterment  were  fashionable 
themes. 


166  THE   LIFE    WOKK   OF    THE    AUTHOR   OF 

In  spite  of  the  rain  which  fell  fitfully  and  hung  in  the 
air  as  a  mist,  Mrs.  Stowe  walked  about  the  estate,  and  ran 
and  scrambled  to  sightly  points,  seeing  Koslin  Castle  in  the 
distance  and  finding  the  ground  in  certain  dells,  spotted 
with  yellow  primroses.  Then  for  the  first  time  she  saw  the 
heather  spreading  over  rocks  and  clinging  about  the  gnarled 
roots  of  ancient  trees.  It  was  not  in  flower,  as  it  blooms 
in  July  and  August,  and  her  Scotch  friends  were  at  a  loss 
to  understand  her  joy  over  its  unobtrusive  greenness. 

After  that,  they  went  to  see  George  Combe,  the  eminent 
physiologist,  and  then  by  special  invitation  to  "  Classic 
Hawthornden,"  whither  Lady  Drummond's  carriage  con 
veyed  them. 

So  utterly  worn  out  with  sight-seeing  and  the  excitement 
of  the  honors  heaped  upon  them  since  their  arrival  at  Liv 
erpool  were  the  Stowe  party,  that  they  resolved  on  leaving 
Edinburgh  to  seek  some  quiet  retreat  and,  keeping  their 
identity  a  secret,  get  somewhere  "  awajr  from  the  madding 

crowd." 

In  a  letter  written  to  her  brother  Henry,  Mrs.  Stowe  said, 
"  remembering  your  Sunday  at  Stratford,  I  proposed  that 
we  should  go  there." 

Their  friend  Mr.  Joseph  Sturge  of  Birmingham  had  cor 
dially  invited  them  to  visit  him.  So,  as  Stratford  was  away 
from  the  line  of  the  railroad  they  decided  to  stay  with  him, 
advising  him  of  that  intention  in  a  note  which  enjoined  the 
strictest  secrecy  as  to  their  whereabouts.  By  Preston  Pans, 
where  was  fought  the  celebrated  battle  by  Dunbar,  where 
Cromwell  told  his  army  to  "  trust  in  God  and  keep  their 
powder  dry;"  through  Berwick-on-Tweed  and  Newcastle- 
on-Tyne ;  by  the  old  gates  and  towers  of  York,  and  in  view 


UNCLE   TOM'S   CABIN.  1H7 

of  Durham  Cathedral  in  the  distance,  they  pursued  their 
journey.  At  Newcastle  and  several  other  places,  they  were 
approached  by  friendly  strangers  who  waited  at  the  stations, 
many  bringing  bouquets  of  choice  flowers. 

As  they  had  never  seen  Mr.  Sturge  it  became  an  interest 
ing  question  how  they  were  to  know  him  at  the  station  at 
Birmingham,  but  Charles  Beecher  insisted  that  instinct 
would  tell  them,  and  in  a  few  moments  he  pitched  upon  a 
cheerful  middle-aged  gentleman,  with  a  decided  though  un 
obtrusive  broad  brim  to  his  hat,  and  they  were  soon  trotting 
away  to  his  place  at  Edgbaston,  feeling  very  snug  and  well 
content  that  they  had  so  successfully  eluded  the  pleasantly 
curious  crowds,  which  everywhere  else  had  greeted  them 
in  England  and  Scotland.  Mr.  Sturge  was  a  zealous  advo 
cate  of  the  anti-slavery  cause,  an  ardent  disciple  of  the  prin 
ciples  of  peace,  and  a  warm  friend  of  Elihu  Burritt,  the 
Connecticut  man,  known  as  the  "learned  blacksmith,"  who 
was  then  in  Great  Britain,  preaching  his  doctrines  of  uni 
versal  brotherhood. 

The  visit  to  Stratford  was  a  most  enjoyable  one, 
filled  with  thoughts  of  the  old  days  of  tradition,  and 
full  of  topics  of  present  interest,  all  clustering  about 
the  home  of  the  bard  of  Avon.  On  the  way  thither 
Mr.  Sturge  told  Mrs.  Stowe  that  there  was  a  friend  who 
wished  very  earnestly  to  see  her  and,  willing  as  she  always 
was  to  meet  people  who  had  a  sincere  interest  in  her  and 
the  great  cause  for  which  she  was  laboring,  she  stopped  at 
a  comfortable  house  which  stood  in  pleasant  grounds,  and 
made  a  call  upon  an  invalid  woman  who  received  her  with 
deep  emotion,  even  tears,  and  spoke  of  the  sacredness  and 
solemnity  of  the  cause,  which  from  its  first  conception  in 


168  THE   LIFE   WORK   OF   THE   AUTHOR   OF 

the  times  of  Wilberforce  and  Clarkson  had  lain  so  near  her 
heart.  It  was  a  memorable  interview  and  Mrs.  Stowe  came 
away  pleased  and  yet  sorrowful,  thinking  how  far  from  the 
universal  feeling  exhibited  here,  was  the  temper  of  the  pub 
lic  mind  in  her  own  country. 

The  pleasure  felt  in  traveling,  in  viewing  nature,  in  meet 
ing  distinguished  people,  in  seeing  works  of  art,  in  musing 
over  by-gone  glories,  is  gauged  and  tempered  by  the  capa 
city  of  the  mind  to  receive  impressions,  to  understand 
causes  and  effects,  to  reason  out  deductions  based  upon 
facts.  How  full  of  deep  enthusiasm  and  appreciation  was 
this  visit  of  the  Stowes,  Charles  Beecher,  Mrs.  George 
Beecher,  her  son  and  Mr.  Buckingham  to  the  home  and 
burial  place  of  Shakespeare,  can  only  be  realized  with  a 
knowledge  of  their  rounded  culture,  and  innate  comprehen 
sion  of  the  truly  great  in  earthly  things.  Mrs.  Stowe 
wrote  most  intelligently  and  eloquently  of  this  visit,  and, 
apropos  of  the  recent  agitation  upon  the  authenticity  of 
the  plays  attributed  to  Shakespeare,  it  may  be  noted  that 
she  said, —  "I  have  often  wondered  at  that  inscription,  that 
a  mind  so  sensitive,  that  had  thought  so  much,  and  ex 
pressed  thought  with  such  startling- power  on  all  the  mys 
teries  of  death,  the  grave,  and  the  future  world,  should 
have  found  nothing  else  to  inscribe  on  his  grave  but  this  : — 

'  Good  Friend  for  Jesus  sake  forbear, 
To  dig  ye  dust  enclosed  here. 
Blest  be  the  man  that  spares  these  stones, 
And  curst  be  he  that  moves  my  bones/  " 

From  Stratford  they  drove  to  Warwick,  familiar  to 
modern  travelers,  and  then  to  Kenilworth,  so  full  of  asso 
ciations  of  Elizabeth  and  Leicester,  poor  Amy  Kobsart  and 
the  rest.  Then  on  to  Coventry,  with  its  cathedral  and  its 


UNCLE    TOM'S   CABIN.  169 

precious  tradition  of  Lady  Godiva.  This  excursion  through, 
what  is  acknowledged  to  be  the  most  picturesque  part  of 
England,  quite  fulfilled  Mrs.  Stowe's  idea  of  the  "  old  coun 
try."  But  in  the  evening  they  were  again  drinking  tea  in 
Mr.  Sturge's  cosy  parlor  in  Birmingham,  and  Elihu  Burritt 
came  in.  Mrs.  Stowe  described  him  at  that  time  as  in  mid 
dle  life,  with  fair  complexion,  blue  eyes,  and  air  of  delicacy, 
and  refinement  of  manners  of  great  gentleness.  Her  concep 
tion  of  "the  learned  blacksmith"  had,  by  natural  association 
of  ideas,  been  something  altogether  more  ponderous  and  per 
emptory,  but  she  listened  with  deep  interest  to  the  exposition 
of  his  plan  of  operations  which  tended  towards  universal  good 
feeling,  and  peace  and  good  will  among  nations  and  races,  as 
between  individual  souls.  His  ideas,  which  seemed  Utopian 
to  many  hard  headed  people,  Mrs.  Stowe  testified  had  been  of 
great  effect  in  smoothing  over  international  disagreements, 
in  more  than  one  instance,  preventing  ill  considered  war 
between  England  and  France.  Charles  Beecher  had  been 
with  Mr.  Sturge  during  the  previous  day  to  a  meeting  of 
Friends,  and  the  evening  was  passed  in  lively  discussion  of 
various  correlative  themes. 

The  fact  that  the  author  of  "Uncle  Tom's  Cabin" 
was  in  Birmingham,  could  not  long  be  suppressed,  and 
the  morning  before  she  left,  she  met  a  circle  of  Friends 
who  composed  the  Abolition  society  of  the  town,  a 
guild  which  was  of  long  standing,  dating  back  to  Wil- 
berforce  and  Clarkson.  A  throng  of  friends  accompa 
nied  them  to  the  station,  and  greatly  to  their  pleasure  Elihu 
Burritt  went  with  them  on  the  train  to  London.  Mrs. 
George  Beecher  and  her  son,  who  had  gone  on  before  them 
and  taken  lodgings  near  Eose  Cottage  in  Walworth,  where 


170  THE   LIFE   WORK   OF   THE   AUTHOR   OF 

the  Stowes  were  to  be  entertained,  met  them  with  the  an 
nouncement  that  they  were  all  invited  to  the  Lord  Mayor's 
dinner  that  night.  "  What,"  said  Mrs.  Stowe,  "  the  Lord 
Mayor  of  London  that  I  used  to  read  about  in  Whittington 
and  his  Cat?"  So  strong  and  well  adjusted  was  her 
mental  ballast  of  child-lore,  home  associations  and  unexag- 
gerated  self-respect,  that  instead  of  feeling  elated  at  the 
honor  doubtless  about  to  be  offered  her,  she  listened  only 
to  the  echo  in  her  ears  of  the  old  chime  of  youthful 
story,  wherein  all  the  bells  of  London  rang  so  merrily,  say 
ing— 

"  Turn  again  Whittington, 
Thrice  lord  mayor  of  London." 

It  was  the  annual  dinner  given  to  the  judges  of  England 
by  the  lord  mayor,  and  there  were  the  whole  English  bar 
and  hosts  of  distinguished  people  besides.  The  Stowes  were 
accompanied  by  their  hosts,  Kev.  and  Mrs.  Binney,  and  soon 
entered  the  Mansion  House  and  a  large  illuminated  hall 
supported  by  pillars.  Chandeliers  were  glittering,  servants 
with  powdered  heads  and  gold  laced  coats  hurried  to  and 
fro,  a  throng  of  ladies  and  gentlemen  in  evening  dress 
moved  about  within,  in  conversation  which  came  to  their 
ears  through  several  rooms,  in  a  polite  din.  Titled  guests 
arrived  and  were  announced,  and  the  lord  Chief  Justice  and 
the  other  eminent  barristers,  came  in  their  black  small 
clothes  with  swords  by  their  sides,  silk  stockings  and 
their  three-cornered  hats  under  their  arms,  many  of  them 
with  their  hair  tied  behind  in  small  silk  bags.  Mrs.  Stowe 
heard  her  name  passed  along  from  one  lackey  to  the  next 
until  it  came  to  the  lord  mayor's  ears  arid  they  entered, 


UNCLE   TOM'S  CABIN.  171 

"being  very  gracefully  received  by  him  and  the  lady  mayor 
ess.  Mrs.  Stowe  was  recognized  by  many  of  the  company 
and  was  instantly  surrounded  by  eminent  persons  seeking 
an  introduction.  Among  others  Lord  Chief  Baron  Pollock, 
a  very  dignified  gentleman,  dressed  in  black  velvet,  with 
frills  of  priceless,  (and  aristocratically  dirty,)  point  lace  at 
his  bosom  and  wristbands,  sat  down  by  her,  telling  her  he 
had  been  reading  the  legal  part  of  the  "  Key  to  Uncle 
Tom's  Cabin,"  remarking  several  decisions  as  having  made 
a  deep  impression  upon  his  mind.  He  said  that  nothing 
had  ever  given  him  so  clear  an  idea  of  the  essential  nature 
of  slavery.  Soon  the  room  was  a  perfect  jam  of  legal  and 
literary  notabilities  and  there  was  scarce  room  to  speak  to 
the  scores  who  were  presented  to  the  American  party. 

About  ten  o'clock  dinner  was  announced,  and  they  were 
conducted  into  a  splendid  hall  where  the  tables  were  laid. 
The  lord  mayor  and  his  wife,  had  on  their  right  hand  the 
judges  and  on  their  left  the  American  Minister  Mr.  Ingersoll, 
while  high  "above  the  salt,"  and  directly  opposite  to 
Charles  Dickens,  whom  she  then  saw  for  the  first  time  and 
was  surprised  to  find  so  young,  sat  Mrs.  Stowe.  The  busi 
ness  of  toast  drinking,  which  was  reduced  to  the  nicest  pos 
sible  system,  began.  After  the  usual  loyal  toasts,  the 
health  of  the  American  Minister  was  proposed,  to  which 
Mr.  Ingersoll  responded  handsomely,  and  the  American 
legal  profession  received  a  very  handsome  compliment  from 
Lord  Chief  Baron  Pollock,  who  spoke  particularly  of  Judge 
Story,  making  Mrs.  Stowe's  heart  warm  with  responsive 
feeling. 

Then  Justice  Talfourd  proposed  the  literati  of  the  two 
countries  under  the  head  of  Ando-Saxon  Literature.  He 


172  THE  LIFE   WORK   OF   THE   AUTHOR   OF 

made  a  handsome  allusion  to  "  Uncle  Tom's  Cabin,"  and  to 
Mr.  Dickens'  works,  to  which  that  gentleman  replied  in  a 
graceful  and  humorous  strain,  giving  Mrs.  Stowe  a  full 
measure  of  appreciation  and  thanks. 

They  arose  from  the  table  about  midnight,  and  the  ladies 
withdrew  to  the  drawing-room,  where  Mrs.  Stowe,  among 
other  distinguished  ladies,  met  Mrs.  Dickens.  Mrs.  Stowe 
saw  in  Mrs.  Dickens  a  good  specimen  of  the  genuine  English 
woman ;  tall,  large  and  well  developed,  with  a  fine  healthy 
color  and  an  air  of  cheerfulness  and  reliability.  A  friend 
whispered  that  she  was  as  observing  and  fond  of  humor,  as 
her  husband.  Plainly  the  shadow  of  the  trouble  that  later 
separated  her  from  him  had  not  come  upon  her.  It  at 
least  was  not  perceptible  to  the  eyes  of  one  who  always 
looked  for  the  bright  and  good  things  in  life,  where  they 
could  possibly  be  found.  When  the  gentlemen  joined  them 
Mrs.  Stowe  had  a  pleasant  conversation  with  Mr.  Dickens 
and  always  retained  a  most  favorable  impression  of  him. 

The  Lord  Mayor  left  the  Mansion  House  to  go  to  the 
House  of  Commons,  and  enthusiastic  brother  Charles 
Beecher  proposed  to  "  make  a  night  of  it "  and  follow 
him,  but  Mrs.  Stowe  found  it  necessary  to  get  rest  in  sleep. 
They  were  not  used  to  the  London  fashion  of  turning  night 
into  day,  but  she  has  since  said  that  if  she  could  but  have 
had  a  relay  of  bodies  to  change  as  one  puts  on  a  fresh 
suit  of  clothes  when  one  is  used  up,  she  would  have  been 
quite  willing  to  go  on  sight-seeing  forever. 

The  following  morning  Mrs.  Follen,  whom  with  her 
husband  Dr.  Follen,  Mrs.  Stowe  had  known  in  Boston  as 
ardent  abolitionists,  who  then  lived  at  West  End,  called 
upon  her  and  they  had  a  long  talk  together.  That  evening 


UNCLE   TOM'S  CABIN.  173 

the  Stowes  dined  with  the  Earl  of  Carlisle.  He  had  been 
in  America  and  was  one  of  the  first  and  few  English  trav 
elers  who  have  viewed  and  written  of  this  country  with 
appreciation.  Leaving  such  important  matters  as  the  break 
ing  of  a  breakfast  egg  at  the  wrong  end,  to  the  Trollopes 
and  a  host  of  large  minded  visitors  who  have  since  discussed 
the  manners  and  culture  of  Americans,  Lord  Carlisle  dis 
cerned  and  interpreted  the  characteristic  strength  and  pos 
sibilities  of  this  growing  country.  He  had  not  disguised 
his  convictions  on  the  anti -slavery  question  while  in  the 
United  States,  and  wrote  an  introduction  to  an  English  edi 
tion  of  "  Uncle  Tom's  Cabin."  They  drove  to  Lord  Car 
lisle's  in  the  usual  drizzling  London  rain,  crossing  Waterloo 
Bridge,  and  began  to  realize  something  of  the  vast  extent 
of  the  city.  Altogether  the  most  striking  objects  passed 
in  this  evening  ride  were  the  gin-shops,  flaming  and  flaring 
in  the  most  conspicuous  positions,  with  plate  glass  windows 
and  glaring  lights,  thronged  with  men,  women  and  children 
drinking  destruction.  The  number  and  size  of  these  liquor 
saloons  was  apalling  to  the  Americans,  who  saw  in  them 
an  institution  which  was  of  greater  detriment  to  the  nation 
than  that  of  slavery  lately  abolished  ;  an  institution,  which 
under  the  banner  of  personal  liberty  permitted  a  voluntary 
•enslavement  of  body  and  soul,  more  crushing  and  complete 
than  any  enforced  servitude  could  ever  possibly  be  ;  an  insti 
tution  beside  which  the  institution  of  negro  slavery  it  were 
as  child's  play  to  abolish,  for  while  in  one  case  the  majority 
of  mankind  and  the  victims  were  joined  against  it,  in  this, 
the  victims  were  its  willing  and  persistent  defenders  and 
had  with  them  the  appetites  and  tendencies  of  all  the  low 
er  moral  nature  of  mankind. 


CHAPTER  VIII. 

MR.   ARTHUR    HELPS  AT  LORD    CARLISLE'S    DINNER    PARTY. 

MRS.  STOWE'S  IMPRESSIONS  OF  THE  COMPANY.  MEETING 
OF  THE  LONDON  BIBLE  SOCIETY  AT  EXETER  HALL.  LORD 
SHAFTESBURY  IN  THE  CHAIR.  SIGHT  -  SEEING.  CELE 
BRATED  PEOPLE.  THE  GREAT  MEETING  AT  STAFFORD 
HOUSE.  DISCRIPTION  OF  A  LUNCHEON  AT  THE  FINEST 
PALACE  IN  ENGLAND  THIRTY-FIVE  YEARS  AGO.  LORD 
SHAFTESBURY'S  SPEECH  AND  PRESENTATION  OF  "THE 
ADDRESS  OF  THE  WOMEN  OF  ENGLAND  TO  THE  WOMEN 
OF  AMERICA  ON  THE  SUBJECT  OF  SLAVERY."  A  GRAND 
HISTORIC  DOCUMENT.  THE  BRACELET  OF  MASSIVE  GOLD 
GIVEN  BY  THE  DUCHESS  OF  SUTHERLAND  TO  MRS.  STOWE. 
THE  GREAT  ANTI-SLAVERY  MEETING  AT  EXETER  HALL. 

IT  was  to  be  a  family  party  at  Lord  Carlisle's,  but  it 
embraced  such  a  noble  company  of  titled  men  and  women 
as  is  seldom  seen,  even  in  the  best  families  of  the  Eng 
lish  peerage.  There  was  the  beautiful  Duchess  of  Suther 
land  and  her  sisters,  Lady  Dover,  Lady  Lascelles,  and  Lady 
Labouchere,  the  Earl  of  Burlington  and  the  Duke  of  Dev 
onshire,  all  near  relatives  of  the  host.  The  only  person 
present  not  of  the  family,  was  Mrs.  Stowe's  discriminating 
reviewer  and  correspondent,  Mr.  Arthur  Helps.  She 
expected  to  see  in  him  a  venerable  sage  who  contem 
plated  life  from  the  door  of  his  hermit  cell,  but  instead  here 
was  a  genial  young  gentleman  of  not  more  than  twenty-five,, 
174 


UNCLE   TOM'S  CABIN.  175 

who  looked  as  if  he  might  enjoy  a  joke  as  well  as  any  man 
living,  and  it  transpired  that  he  did.  Mrs.  Stowe  had  the 
place  of  honor  next  to  Lord  Carlisle.  Mr.  Helps  came 
next,  and  proved  himself  a  very  agreeable  and  amusing 
neighbor. 

When  the  servant  passed  wine,  it  was  observed  that  all 
of  the  Stowe  party  left  their  glasses  untouched.  The 
temperance  question  was  raised,  and  the  company  showed 
much  interest  in  the  Maine  law,  then  in  force  in  that  State. 
Later,  in  the  drawing-room,  Mrs.  Stowe  was  presented  to 
the  aged  Countess  of  Carlisle,  the  Earl's  mother,  a  lady  of 
great  distinction  and  loveliness  of  character.  The  house  was 
everywhere  adorned  with  works  of  art  by  the  best  masters, 
and  Mrs.  Stowe  often  recalled  to  mind  a  Rembrandt  which 
hung  over  the  fireplace,  and  one  or  two  Cuyps,  which  she 
thought  might  have  been  painted  in  America,  so  perfectly 
did  they  show  the  hazy  atmosphere  of  our  October  days. 
After  the  gentlemen  rejoined  them,  there  came  the  Duke 
and  Duchess  of  Argyle  and  Lord  and  Lady  Blantyre  to  pay 
their  respects.  These  ladies  were  both  the  daughters  of 
the  Duchess  of  Sutherland.  The  Duke  of  Argyle,  whose 
place  had  been  seen  in  Scotland,  was  then  a  member  of 
the  British  cabinet,  though  at  a  very  early  age,  and  had 
already  distinguished  himself  as  a  writer  of  various  works 
bearing  upon  political  economy,  as  well  as  ecclesiastical 
history. 

They  formed  an  intelligent  company,  and  the  conversa 
tion  fell  upon  American  men  of  letters.  Particularly  were 
Emerson,  Longfellow,  and  Hawthorne  admired,  and  Pres- 
cott  seemed  to  be  a  special  favorite.  Mrs.  Stowe  after 
wards  said — "I  felt  at  the  moment  that  we  never  value  our 


176  THE   LIFE   WORK   OF   THE   AUTHOR   OF 

literary  rtfen  so  much  as  when  placed  in  a  circle  of  intel 
ligent  foreigners ;  it  is  particularly  so  with  Americans,  be 
cause  we  have  nothing  but  our  men  and  women  to  glory 
in — no  court,  no  nobles,  no  castles,  no  cathedrals ;  except 
we  produce  distinguished  specimens  of  humanity,  we  are 
nothing." 

Did  not  her  own  presence  worthily  demonstrate  that 
besides  these  then  named,  America  had  much  to  be  proud 
of? 

The  quietness,  grace  and  culture  of  this  evening  circle, 
the  air  of  refined  and  generous  hospitality,  and  the  evident 
sincerity  of  character  shown  in  every  person,  made  it  a 
most  delightful  occasion.  Mrs.  Stowe  afterwards  declared 
that  she  never  felt  herself  more  at  home,  even  among  the 
Quakers.  Nobility  of  character,  and  grace  of  hospitality, 
are  fortunately  not  the  exclusive  possession  of  aristocracy, 
though  they  certainly  reflect  beauty  upon  high  social  posi 
tion. 

The  next  morning,  although  very  tired,  Mrs.  Stowe 
attended  the  meeting  of  the  Bible  Society.  It  was  anni 
versary  week,  and  a  confluence  of  all  the  religious  societies 
of  London  met  at  Exeter  Hall,  with  Lord  Shaftesbury, 
whom  Mrs.  Stowe  then  saw  for  the  first  time,  in  the  chair. 
Mrs.  Stowe  has  related  with  great  enjoyment,  the  mild  sur 
prise  with  which  the  English  people  read  certain  Ameri 
can  newspapers  of  that  period,  which,  now  that  they  be 
came  aware  of  Lord  Shaftesbury's  sympathy  with  anti- 
slavery,  exhorted  him  to  confine  his  attention  to  English 
affairs,  to  look  into  the  factory  system  of  his  own  country 
and  explore  the  collieries  where  human  beings  were  worked 
as  slaves,  as  if  he  had  been  doing  anything  else  for  more 


UNCLE   TOM'S  CABIN.  177 

than  twenty  years.  She  attributed  their  ignoratice  as  pos 
sibly  due  to  the  facility  with  which  titled  Englishmen 
change  their  names,  the  Earl  of  Shaftesbury  having 
been  in  the  House  of  Commons  as  Lord  Ashley,  and  upon 
the  death  of  his  father  entered  the  House  of  Lords  under 
his  hereditary  title  of  Lord  Shaftesbury.  However,  she 
could  not  wonder  that  the  contrast  which  a  certain  very 
staid  religious  paper  in  the  United  States,  drew  between 
Lord  Ashley  and  Lord  Shaftesbury — not  at  all  to  the  credit 
of  the  latter — did  not  strike  the  people  over  there,  as  par 
ticularly  apposite! 

Another  day  or  two  filled  with  sightseeing,  visiting  pic 
ture  galleries,  and  meeting  celebrated  people,  among  them 
Martin  Farquhar  Tupper,  and  sweet  Mary  Howitt,  and 
Mrs.  Stowe  was  so  utterly  worn  out  that,  in  her  own  words 
"  There  was  scarcely  a  chip  of  her  left." 

But  on  Saturday,  the  eighth  day  of  May,  came  the  great 
meeting  at  Stafford  House,  which  stood  on  the  borders  of 
St.  James  Park  opposite  to  Buckingham  Place,  overlook 
ing  the  Park  and  beautiful  gardens  on  the  other  side. 

The  Stowe  party  was  received  by  two  stately  High 
landers,  in  full  costume,  who  stood  at  the  door.  A  multi 
tude  of  servants  in  livery,  with  powdered  hair,  and  all  the 
grandeur  of  official  importance,  bowed  and  waved  them 
through  the  entrance  rooms,  passing  their  names  along  in 
sonorous  tones  with  great  dignity  of  manner.  At  last  the 
dining  room  was  reached,  and  as  no  person  was  pres 
ent,  they  had  ample  time  to  look  about  and  compose  them 
selves.  The  Duchess  of  Sutherland  soon  appeared.  She 
was  tall,  with  a  stately  bearing,  a  fullness  of  outline,  and  a 
noble  air.  Her  fair  complexion,  blond  hair  and  full  lips, 
12 


178  THE   LIFE   WORK    OF   THE    AUTHOR   OF 

spoke  of  Saxon  blood.  In  her  youth  she  might  have  been 
a  Kowena,  with  however,  much  warmth  and  expressiveness 
added  to  that  rather  luke-warm  character.  She  was  dressed 
in  white  muslin,  with  a  drab  velvet  bodice  slashed  with 
satin  of  the  same  color.  Her  luxuriant  hair  was  confined 
by  a  gold  and  diamond  net,  on  the  back  part  of  her  head. 
She  looked  even  handsomer  by  daylight  than  she  had  the 
evening  before,  and  received  them  with  the  grace  and  cor 
diality  which  were  preeminently  her  own. 

Thomas  Carlisle  said,  "  Show  me  the  man  you  honor,  I 
know  by  that  better  than  by  any  other,  what  kind  of  a 
man  you  yourself  are."  Mrs.  Stowe's  character  is  in  no 
way  so  clearly  exhibited,  as  by  her  description  of  the  peo 
ple  and  the  events  which  most  moved  her.  "While  mere 
pomp,  imposing  social  honors,  offered  by  mere  celebrity 
seekers,  or  compliments  from  royalty  itself,  separated  from 
true  worth  and  sincerity,  would  have  utterly  failed  to 
touch  a  responsive  chord,  these  distinguished  members 
of  the  highest  nobility  were  tested  by  her  standard  of 
worth,  and  then  accorded  a  full  appreciative,  enthusiastic 
admiration  and  love — a  love  in  no  way  different,  nor  tinged 
with  one  deeper  shade  of  pleasure,  than  what  she  felt,  in 
response  to  the  beating  hearts  of  the  honest  Scotch  people, 
or  returned  to  truly  noble  hearts  and  minds  wherever  met. 

The  Duke,  who  was  the  head  of  one  of  the  Highland 
clans,  was  seen  to  be  a  tall,  slender  man  of  delicate  health 
with  a  chronic  deafness  which,  while  preventing  him  from 
entering  much  into  general  society,  did  not  preclude  his  ten 
der  interest  in  the  cause  of  humanity,  nor  hinder  his 
devising  and  executing  schemes  for  the  benefit  of  his  nu 
merous  dependents. 


UNCLE    TOM'S   CABIN.  179 

Here  may  be  noted  a  little  episode,  entirely  feminine  in 
its  character  which,  while  we  smile,  affords  a  feeling  of 
nearness  and  sympathy  with  these  two  women.  They  rep 
resented  the  highest  peerage  of  England,  and  the  intellectual 
queenship  of  America,  yet  consulted  as  earnestly,  in  sweet 
privacy  and  confidence,  upon  a  matter  of  dress  and 
social  etiquette  as  the  simplest  and  most  womanly 
creatures  of  us  all.  Mrs.  Stowe  modestly  attired,  sought 
a  private  conversation  with  the  Duchess  in  her  boudoir  and 
frankly  confessed  a  little  anxiety  respecting  the  arrange 
ments  for  the  day.  Having  lived  all  her  life  in  such  a 
sequestered  manner,  she  naturally  felt  some  apprehension 
as  to  the  things  expected  of  her  upon  such  an  occasion. 

With  her  characteristic,  straightforward  action,  she  said  as 
much,  and  asked  for  direction.  The  Duchess,  who 
was  notably  unconventional  in  her  manners,  pressed  her 
hand  and  begged  her  to  be  entirely  easy,  as  if  among  her 
own  friends,  which  they  would  be.  She  told  her  she  had 
invited  a  few  guests  to  luncheon,  and  that  afterwards  others 
would  call ;  that  later  there  would  be  a  short  address  from 
the  ladies  of  England,  read  by  Lord  Shaftesbury,  which 
would  require  no  answer.  She  adjusted  a  ribbon  on  Mrs. 
Stowe's  bonnet,  fastened  an  escaping  curl  in  place,  as  a 
sister  might  do,  and  they  returned  to  the  drawing  room, 
where  friends  had  already  begun  to  assemble.  The 
announcement  at  the  door  of  the  names  of  the  guests, 
obviated  any  necessity  for  introductions  ;  English  society 
fully  understanding  the  rule  that  "the  roof"  was  suffi 
cient  guarantee  to  all  its  guests,  of  the  desirability  of  know 
ing  each  other. 

The  Duke  and  Duchess  of  Argyle,  Lord  and  Lady  Blan- 


180  THE   LIFE  WORK   OF   THE  AUTHOR  OF 

tyre,  the  Marquis  and  Marchioness  of  Stafford,  and  Lord 
and  Lady  Campbell  arrived  first.  Then  followed  Lord 
Shaftesbury  with  his  charming  Lady,  and  her  father  and 
mother,  Lord  and  Lady  Palmerston.  Lord  Palmerston  was 
of  middle  height,  with  a  keen  black  eye  and  black  hair 
streaked  with  gray.  Mrs.  Stowe  found  him  quite  what  she 
had  expected  from  his  public  actions,  and  in  talking  with 
him,  remembered  vividly  how  often  she  had  heard  her 
father,  Dr.  Lyman  Beecher,  and  Professor  Stowe,  exulting 
over  his  foreign  dispatches,  by  their  home  fireside.  The 
Marquis  of  Lansdowne,  formerly  known  as  Lord  Henry 
Pettes,  who,  with  Wilberforce  and  Clarkson  had  taken  so 
prominent  a  part  in  the  abolition  of  the  English  slave 
trade  came,  and  also  Lord  John  Kussell,  Lord  Grenville 
and  Mr.  Gladstone,  who  was  two  or  three  years  her  senior. 

When  luncheon  was  announced  the  Duke  of  Sutherland 
gave  his  arm  to  Mrs.  Stowe,  and  her  neighbor  on  the  other 
hand,  was  Lord  Lansdowne,  who  conversed  very  intelli 
gently  with  her,  about  men  and  things  in  America. 

Mrs.  Stowe's  description  of  a  luncheon  at  the  finest  palace 
in  England  thirty-five  years  ago  is  a  notable  one,  and  of 
especial  interest  to  American  society  people,  who  of  late 
are  coming  to  place  such  a  high  value  upon  manners  and 
social  usages.  Her  Grace's  chef,  bore  the  reputation  of  be 
ing  the  first  artist  of  his  class  in  England.  The  preparation 
and  serving  of  the  viands  was  Parisian  in  taste  and  fertility 
of  ideas,  and  Mrs.  Stowe  pertinently  remarked  that,  "  the 
profession  thus  sublimated,  bears  the  same  proportion  to 
the  old  substantial  English  cookery,  that  Mozart's  music 
does  to  Handel's,  or  Midsummer  Night's  Dream,  to  Para 
dise  Losx.* 


UNCLE   TOM'S  CABIN.  181 

The  luncheon  was  then  as  now,  a  social  occasion  which 
was  less  elaborate  and  ceremonious,  than  dinner.  The 
ladies  sat  down  without  removing  their  bonnets,  everything 
was  placed  upon  the  table  at  once  and  the  children  were  ad 
mitted  to  the  table,  even  in  the  presence  of  guests.  The  ser 
vants  moved  noiselessly  to  and  fro,  taking  up  the  dishes 
and  offering  them  to  each  guest.  One  of  the  dainties 
served  at  this  luncheon  was  a  plover's  nest,  precisely  as  the 
plover  made  it,  with  five  tiny,  speckled,  blue  eggs  in  it. 
It  was  then  a  "  fad ''  in  table  fashions,  to  thus  set  the  deli 
cate  eggs  before  a  guest,  but  it  had  such  a  sylvan  pictur- 
esqueness  and  realism  about  it,  that  it  brought  up  to  at 
least  one  of  the  company,  memories  of  robins'  nests  in  the 
old  sunny  orchard  at  home,  and  she  could  not  profane  the 
image  by  eating  one  of  the  eggs. 

It  was  remarkable  how  the  personal  aspect  of  the  men 
and  women  who  graced  this  occasion,  differed  from  those 
of  equally  great  persons  in  America — how  far  less  they 
bore  the  marks  of  age,  than  men  in  America  who  had  sim 
ilarly  been  engaged  in  affairs  of  state  or  intellectual  pro 
gress.  They  wore  an  air  of  freshness  and  youthful  alert 
ness,  which  was  a  marvel  to  the  visitors,  used  to  the  marks 
of  anxiety  and  care,  which  deeply  lined  the  faces  of  Amer 
ican  statesmen  and  men  of  letters.  They  hardly  knew 
whether  to  attribute  it  to  the  less  exhausting  climate, 
or  the  solidity  of  political  institutions  and  ideas  which  rest 
firm,  where  ours  are  constantly  shifting  and  drifting,  like 
the  sand.  The  tone  of  this  highest  social  life,  was  delight 
fully  simple  and  unaffected.  It  was  friendly,  natural,  and 
sincere.  They  gave  no  evidence  of  anxiety  as  to  deport 
ment,  either  in  eating  or  in  conversation.  They  talked  like 


182  THE   LIFE   WORK   OF   THE   AUTHOR   OF 

people  who  thought  more  of  what  they  were  saying  than 
how  they  said  it,  and  in  this  simplicity  and  kindness,  which 
will  alone  induce  a  natural  perfection  of  manners,  they 
found  the  Americans,  whom  they  honored,  similarly 
gifted. 

After  luncheon  the  whole  party  ascended  the  grand  stair 
case — then  acknowledged  the  most  magnificent  in  Europe — 
to  the  picture  gallery.  This  room,  which  is  a  hundred  feet 
long  by  forty  wide — was  surmounted  by  a  dome  richly  fin 
ished  with  golden  palm  trees  and  elaborate  carving.  The 
hall  was  lighted  in  the  evening  bv  a  row  of  lights 
placed  outside  the  ground  glass  of  the  dome,  which  was 
thrown  down  in  brilliant  radiance  by  reflectors,  without 
the  usual  oppressive  heat  of  gas  light.  The  gallery  was 
peculiarly  rich  in  paintings  of  the  Spanish  school,  among 
them  two  superb  Murillos  taken  from  convents  by  Marshal 
Soult  during  the  time  of  his  career  in  Spain,  of  whom  it 
may  be  said,  as  of  his  chief,  Napoleon,  that  if  he  was  no 
better  than  a  magnificent  robber,  he  at  least  stole  with 
taste. 

There  was  a  painting  by  Paul  de  la  Eoche  of  the  Earl 
of  Stafford  led  forth  to  execution,  the  original  of  the  prints 
so  well  known  at  that  time  in  America,  and  one  by  a 
Flemish  artist  representing  Christ  under  examination  by 
Caiphas.  It  was  a  candle  light  scene,  with  only  two  faces, 
the  calm  and  resolute,  though  downcast  and  foreseeing  face 
of  Christ,  and  the  vehement  upturned  countenance  of  the 
questioning  high  priest.  Mrs.  Stowe  often  referred  to  this 
wonderful  picture  and  said  that  its  presence  there  in  the 
midst  of  that  scene,  was  deeply  affecting  to  her. 

The  immense  apartment  began  to  fill  with  guests.     Many 


UNCLE   TOM'S   CABIN.  183 

presentations  were  made,  among  them :  Archbishop 
Whateley  with  his  wife  and  daughter,  Macauley  with  two 
of  his  sisters,  Milman  the  poet  and  historian,  the  Bishop  of 
Oxford,  Chevalier  Bunsen  and  the  Baroness,  and  many 
more. 

Among  other  celebrities  Mrs.  Stowe  met  the  historian 
Sir  Archibald  Allison,  whom  she  described  as  a  tall,  fine 
looking  man,  of  very  commanding  presence. 

Shortly  after  the  Duke  of  Sutherland  presented  Mrs. 
Stowe  to  the  distinguished  company,  composed  of  lords 
and  ladies,  peers  of  the  realm  and  great  commoners,  men 
of  high  standing  in  church  and  state,  and  women  of  beauty 
and  intellectual  endowments,  the  greatest  in  all  England. 

Our  Harriet  Beecher  Stowe  bowed  simply,  but  her  eyes 
shone  with  pleasure  and  heartfelt  gratitude  that,  as  she  has 
since  expressed  it,  the  most  magnificent  of  England's  pal 
aces  had  that  day  opened  its  doors  to  the  slave.  Always 
thinking  of  herself  as  trie  instrument  in  the  hands  of  Prov 
idence,  merely  as  the  one  to  whom  a  great  message  had 
been  entrusted,  she  forgot  her  own  personality  and  grate 
fully  received  this  overwhelming  ovation  as  a  greeting  par 
ticularly  directed  to  American  bondmen. 

She  sat  quietly  in  a  chair  which  had  been  conve 
niently  placed  for  her,  closely  attended  by  the  Duchess 
of  Sutherland  and  a  group  of  distinguished  ladies,  while 
the  imposing  company,  of  the  most  eminent  and  intelli 
gent  men  and  women  in  England,  sat  and  stood,  filling  the 
grand  gallery.  In  a  few  words,  speaking  for  the  Duchess 
of  Sutherland  and  the  ladies  of  the  two  committees  ap 
pointed  to  conduct  "  The  Address  of  the  Women  of  Eng 
land  to  the  Women  of  America  on  the  Subject  of  Slavery," 


184  THE   LIFE    WORK   OF   THE    AUTHOR   OF 

the  Duke  gave  her  welcome,  and  called  upon  Lord  Shaftes- 
bury  to  make  the  presentation  of  the  great  testimonial 
which  had  had  its  first  inception  with  him. 

Lord  Shaftesbury  arose,  and  reading  the  short  prelimin 
ary  address,  presented,  to  Mrs.  Stowe  what  is  probably  the 
most  remarkable  testimonial  ever  tendered  to  any  person. 

The  address  was  upon  vellum,  handsomely  inscribed  in 
illuminated  text  in  these  words. 

"  THE  AFFECTIONATE  AND  CHRISTIAN  ADDRESS  OF  MANY 
THOUSANDS  OF  WOMEN  OF  GREAT  BRITAIN  AND  IRELAND  TO 
THEIR  SISTERS,  THE  WOMEN  OF  THE  UNITED  STATES  OF 
AMERICA. 

"  A  COMMON  ORIGIN,  A  COMMON  FAITH,  AND,  WE  SINCERELY 
BELIEVE.  A  COMMON  CAUSE,  URGE  US  AT  THE  PRESENT  MO 
MENT  TO  ADDRESS  YOU  ON  THE  SUBJECT  OF  THAT  SYSTEM  OF 
NEGRO  SLAVERY  WHICH  STILL  PREVAILS  SO  EXTENSIVELY, 
AND  EVEN  UNDER  KINDLY  DISPOSED  MASTERS,  WITH  SUCH 
FRIGHTFUL  RESULTS,  IN  MANY  OF  THE  VAST  REGIONS  OF  THE 
WESTERN  WORLD.  WE  WILL  NOT  DWELL  ON  THE  ORDINARY 
TOPICS — ON  THE  PROGRESS  OF  CIVILIZATION;  ON  THE 
ADVANCE  OF  FREEDOM  EVERYWHERE  ;  ON  THE  RIGHTS  AND 
REQUIREMENTS  OF  THE  NINETEENTH  CENTURY;  BUT  WE 
APPEAL  TO  YOU  VERY  SERIOUSLY  TO  REFLECT,  AND  TO  ASK 
COUNSEL  OF  GOD,  HOW  FAR  SUCH  A  STATE  OF  THINGS  IS  IN 
ACCORDANCE  WITH  HIS  HOLY  WORD,  THE  INALIENABLE  RIGHTS 
OF  IMMORTAL  SOULS,  AND  THE  PURE  AND  MERCIFUL  SPIRIT 
OF  THE  CHRISTIAN  RELIGION. 

WE  DO  NOT  SHUT  OUR  EYES  TO  THE  DIFFICULTIES,  NAY? 
THE  DANGERS  THAT  MIGHT  BESET  THE  IMMEDIATE  ABOLITION 
OF  THAT  LONG  ESTABLISHED  SYSTEM;  WE  SEE  AND  ADMIT 


UNCLE   TOM'S  CABIN.  185 

THE  NECESSITY  OF  PREPARATION  FOR  SO  GREAT  AN  EVENT ; 
BUT  IN  SPEAKING  OF  THE  INDISPENSABLE  PRELIMINARIES,  WE 
CANNOT  BE  SILENT  ON  THOSE  LAWS  OF  YOUR  COUNTRY  WHICH, 
IN  DIRECT  CONTRAVENTION  OF  GOD'S  OWN  LAW,  INSTITUTED 
IN  THE  TIME  OF  MAN'S  INNOCENCY,  DENY  IN  EFFECT,  TO  THE 
SLAVE  THE  SANCTITY  OF  MARRIAGE  WITH  ALL  ITS  JOYS,  RIGHTS 
AND  OBLIGATIONS ;  WHICH  SEPARATE,  AT  THE  WILL  OF  THE 
MASTER,  THE  WIFE  FROM  THE  HUSBAND  AND  THE  CHILDREN 
FROM  THE  PARENTS.  NOR  CAN  WE  BE  SILENT  ON  THAT 
AWFUL  SYSTEM  WHICH  EITHER  BY  STATUTE  OR  CUSTOM, 
INTERDICTS  TO  ANY  RACE  OF  MEN,  OR  ANY  PORTION  OF  THE 
HUMAN  FAMILY,  EDUCATION  IN  THE  TRUTHS  OF  THE  GOSPEL, 
AND  THE  ORDINANCES  OF  CHRISTIANITY. 

A  REMEDY  APPLIED  TO  THESE  TWO  EVILS  ALONE  WOULD 
COMMENCE  THE  AMELIORATION  OF  THEIR  SAD  CONDITION. 
WE  APPEAL  TO  YOU  THEN  AS  SISTERS,  AS  WIVES,  AND  AS 
MOTHERS,  TO  RAISE  YOUR  VOICES  TO  YOUR  FELLOW  CITIZENS, 
AND  YOUR  PRAYERS  TO  GOD,  FOR  THE  REMOVAL  OF  THIS 
AFFLICTION  FROM  THE  CHRISTIAN  WORLD.  WE  DO  NOT  SAY 
THESE  THINGS  IN  A  SPIRIT  OF  SELF  COMPLACENCE,  AS  THOUGH 
OUR  NATION  WERE  FREE  FROM  THE  GUILT  IT  PERCEIVES  IN 
OTHERS.  WE  ACKNOWLEDGE  WITH  GRIEF  AND  SHAME  OUR 
HEAVY  SHARE  IN  THIS  GREAT  SIN.  WE  ACKNOWLEDGE  THAT 
OUR  FORE-FATHERS  INTRODUCED,  NAY,  COMPELLED  THE  ADOP 
TION  OF  SLA  VERY  IN  THOSE  MIGHTY  COLONIES.  WE  HUMBLY 
CONFESS  IT  BEFORE  ALMIGHTY  GOD ;  AND  IT  IS  BECAUSE  WE 
SO  DEEPLY  FEEL,  AND  SO  UNFEIGNEDLY  AVOW,  OUR  OWN 
COMPLICITY,  THAT  WE  NOW  VENTURE  TO  IMPLORE  YOUR  AID 
TO  WIPE  AWAY  OUR  COMMON  CRIME,  AND  OUR  COMMON  DIS 
HONOR." 

The  Testimonial,  consisting  of  twenty-four  large,  bound 


186  THE  LIFE   WORK   OF   THE   AUTHOR   OF 

volumes,  containing  the  names  of  nearly  six  hundred  thou 
sand  British  women,  beginning  with  the  nobility,  of  which 
there  were  many  hundred,  continuing  with  the  names  of 
wives  of  prominent  commoners,  and  finishing  with  thousands 
of  conscientious  English  speaking  women  whose  hearts 
were  full  of  the  cause,  was  formally  presented  to  Mrs.  Stowe 
by  Lord  Shaftesbury.  Then  the  Duchess  of  Sutherland 
arose  and  in  a  few  .graceful  words  made  her  own  gift, 
which  was  of  a  bracelet  made  of  massive  links  of  fine  gold, 
typical  of  the  slave's  fetters.  As  she  took  the  chain  from 
her  own  fair  round  wrist  and  clasped  it  upon  the  small  arm 
of  Harriet  Beecher  Stowe  she  said,  "  We  trust  it  is  the 
memorial  of  a  chain  that  is  soon  to  be  broken." 

These  words  were  inscribed  upon  one  of  the  large  links. 
Upon  another  was  engraved  the  date  of  the  abolition  of  the 
English  slave  trade,  and  on  another,  the  date  of  the  abolition 
of  slavery  in  the  last  of  the  English  territories.  The  beau 
tiful  Duchess  begged  Mrs.  Stowe  to  keep  it,  until  she  should 
be  able  to  place  upon  its  remaining  links,  the  date  of  the 
emancipation  of  the  slaves  in  America. 

Mrs.  Stowe  acknowledged  that  she  never  expected  to  live 
to  see  that  day.  But  the  mills  of  God  were  grinding  faster 
than  she  knew. 

The  accounts  of  this  memorable  occasion  having  been 
published  in  the  English  papers,  sundry  American  journals 
intimated  very  plainly  that  it  was  a  political  movement; 
but  that  accusation  was  strongly  denied  by  Mrs.  Stowe,  who 
declared  that  it  had  its  origin  in  the  deep  religious  feeling 
of  Lord  Shaftesbury,  a  man  whose  whole  life  was  devoted 
to  the  abolition  of  white-labor  slavery  of  Great  Britain; 
who  explored  the  darkness  of  the  collieries,  and  counted  the 


UNCLE  TOM'S  CABIX.  187 

weary  steps  of  the  cotton  spinners  ;  who  penetrated  the  dens 
where  the  insane  were  tortured  in  darkness  with  cold  and 
stripes,  and  the  loathsome  alleys  of  squalid  London  haunted 
with  fever  and  filth,  with  cholera,  and  moral  plagues  not 
less  to  be  dreaded.  It  is  well  known  that  when  in  the 
Parliament  of  England,  he  was  pleading  for  women  in  the 
collieries,  who  were  harnessed  like  beasts  of  burden,  and 
made  to  draw  heavy  loads  through  miry  and  dark  passages 
and  for  children,  who  often  at  three  years  of  age  were  taken 
to  labor  where  the  sun  never  shines,  he  was  met  with  fur 
ious  opposition,  and  accused  of  being  a  disorganizer,  and 
of  wishing  to  restore  the  dark  ages. 

Yery  similar  accusations  and  injustices  were  done  him 
during  the  seventeen  years  campaign  which  at  last  resulted 
in  the  triumphant  passage  of  the  celebrated  "  factory  bill." 
He  was  therefore  not  surprised  that  misconstruction  should 
have  been  put  upon  his  espousal  of  the  anti-slavery  cause, 
and  the  welcome  prepared  through  his  means  by  the  women 
of  Great  Britain  for  the  author  of  "  Uncle  Tom's  Cabin." 
Neither  did  the  Duchess  of  Sutherland  allow  herself  to 
be  disturbed  by  the  ridiculous  stories  and  scandals,  which 
found  their  way  into  American  prints,  immediately  fol 
lowing  the  event  just  described,  recognizing  as  the  ani 
mus  of  them,  the  bitterness  and  impotent  rage  which  filled 
the  hearts  of  the  unknown  writers,  because  of  the  glorious 
support  given  in  England  to  a  woman  who  appeared  as  the 
most  eloquent  exponent  of  a  cause  which,  thus  far,  had  re 
ceived  little  support  from  societj^  in  the  United  States. 

As  among  the  minor,  though  extremely  gratifying  at 
tentions,  shown  Mrs.  Stowe  at  the  Duchess  of  Sutherland's, 
it  may  be  mentioned  that  a  pretty  Quakeress,  of  mature 


188  THE   LIFE   WORK   OF   THE   AUTHOR   OF 

years,  made  a  little  speech  to  the  author  of  "Uncle  Tom's 
Cabin/'  and  hung  upon  her  arm  an  embroidered  reticule  in 
which  some  of  the  first  English  anti-slavery  tracts  had  been 
carried  for  distribution. 

An  artist  named  Burnand,  a  young  man  who  had 
attained  some  celebrity,  presented  her  with  a  fine  cameo 
head  of  the  great  abolitionist  Wilberforce,  cut  from  a 
statue  in  Westminster  Abbey.  He  also  begged  leave 
to  make  a  bust  of  Mrs.  Stowe,  and  though  she  de 
clared  that,  considering  the  melancholy  results  of  former 
attempts,  it  made  her  laugh  to  think  of  sitting  for  a  new 
likeness,  she  was  so  entreated  by  her  friends  that  she  finally 
consented.  Her  host  gladly  allowed  his  study  to  be  turned 
into  a  studio,  and  the  work  began. 

Then  came  another  sculptor  on  the  heels  of  the  first,  who 
told  her  he  had  a  bust  of  her  begun,  which  was  to  be 
finished  in  Parian  and  published,  whether  she  sat  for  it  or 
not,  though,  he  added  ingenuously,  of  course  he  much 
preferred  to  have  an  occasional  look  at  her.  So  her  host 
told  him  he  might  come  too,  and  for  some  days  she  was 
perched  upon  a  stool,  dividing  her  glances  and  her  conver 
sation  between  the  two  enthusiastic  artists,  one  of  whom 
was  taking  one  side  of  her  face  and  one  the  other. 

Mrs.  Stowe  went  with  a  party,  in  which  was  Lord  John 
Eussell,  to  visit  a  model  school  for  children  of  the  poorer 
classes,  and  with  Mrs.  Cropper  and  Lady  Hatherton,  to 
visit  the  poet  Eogers  in  his  home,  which  was  a  perfect 
cabinet  of  rare  and  costly  works  of  art,  and  adorned  with 
choice  books.  Eogers  was  then  old  and  quite  feeble,  but  he 
welcomed  her  most  cordially,  and  apparently  took  great 
pleasure  in  her  admiration  of  the  rare  pictures,  marbles, 


UNCLE   TOM'S  CABIN.  189 

vases,  gems  and  statuary,  that  constituted  his  wonderful 
collection.  He  presented  her  with  his  poems,  beautifully 
illustrated  by  Turner,  with  his  autograph  upon  the  fly 
leaf. 

With  the  Duke  and  Duchess  of  Sutherland,  the  Stowe 
party  visited  many  rare  collections  of  paintings.  They 
spent  an  evening  at  Lord  John  Kussell's,  and  became  so 
thoroughly  wearied  with  a  succession  of  pleasures,  that 
even  Professor  Stowe  succumbed  and  ingloriously  went  to 
bed,  remaining  there  several  days  to  recover  from  the 
strain  upon  body  and  mind  which  this  memorable  visit  had 
induced. 

Mrs.  Stowe  was  invited  to  breakfast  with  Sir  Charles  and 
Lady  Trevelyan  at  Welbourne  Terrace,  and  in  a  letter  to 
her  daughter,  described  some  of  the  eminent  literary  peo 
ple  whom  she  met,  saying,  "  In  your  evening  reading  cir 
cles,  Macauley,  Sidney  Smith,  and  Milman,  have  long  been 
such  familiar  names,  that  you  will  be  glad  to  go  with  me 
over  the  scenes." 

Lady  Trevelyan  was  the  sister  of  Thomas  Babington 
Macauley,  whom  Mrs.  Stowe  described  as  peculiarly  Eng 
lish  in  physique,  short,  stout,  and  firmly  knit,  hearty  in  his 
manner,  with  a  full,  round,  deep  chest  voice,  who  talked 
just  as  he  wrote.  He  was  about  fifty,  a  bachelor,  but  with 
as  unmistakable  a  social  domestic  nature  as  that  so  charm 
ingly  displayed,  under  similar  circumstances,  by  our  own 
Washington  Irving. 

The  conversation  having  turned  upon  Shakespeare, 
several  guests  were  comparing  ideas  and  some  one  asked 
Mrs.  Stowe  which  was  her  favorite  play.  Before  she  could 


190  THE   LIFE   WOKK   OF    THE    AUTHOR   OF 

reply  Macauley  quickly  answered,  "  Oh,  Mrs.  Stowe  prefers 
Othello,  of  course." 

"Why  do  you  think  so,  my  lord''  said  that  lady. 

"  Because  it  is  the  only  drama  in  which  a  black  man 
runs  away  with  the  affections  of  a  white  lady,  "  said  the 
essayist,  his  eyes  sparkling  with  mischievous  enjoyment  of 
his  joke  at  the  expense  of  the  author  of  "  Uncle  Tom's 
Cabin,"  who  with  all  other  abolitionists,  had  been  reviled 
as  an  amalgamationist. 

Mrs.  Stowe  was  seated  at  table  between  Macauley  and 
Milman,  whom  she  described  as  of  striking  appearance, 
tall,  stooping,  with  a  keen  black  eye,  and  perfectly  white 
hair,  a  singular  and  poetic  contrast.  Having  been  for  many 
years  dean  of  Westminster,  he  talked  most  entertainingly 
of  its  antiquities,  and  with  both  men  talking  almost  inces 
santly  upon  delightful  and  instructive  topics,  Mrs.  Stowe 
was  sadly  tried  in  her  effort  to  listen  with  both  ears  and 
keep  the  conversations  clear  and  separate. 

The  historian,  Hallam,  was  also  present,  a  quiet  retiring 
man,  with  a  tinge  of  sadness  in  his  face,  which  suggested  the 
shadow  of  the  loss  of  his  son  Arthur,  the  one  to  whom  Ten 
nyson  wrote  "  In  Memoriam."  In  conversation  about  this 
breakfast  Mrs.  Stowe  afterwards  said,  "  there  were  doubtless 
other  celebrities  there  whom  I  did  not  know.  I  was  always 
through  my  visit  finding  out  that  I  had  been  with  some 
body  very  remarkable  whom  I  did  not  suspect  at  the 
time." 

Professor  and  Mrs.  Stowe  lunched  the  same  day,  in  the 
early  part  of  May,  a  time  so  beautiful  in  England,  at  Sur 
rey  parsonage.  This  chapel  and  parsonage  had  been  the 
church  and  residence  of  the  celebrated  Eowland  Hill,  and 


UNCLE    TOM'S   CABIN.  191 

the  then  present  incumbent,  Bev.  Mr.  Sherman,  proved  a 
model  host.  Among  the  very  agreeable  company  were 
Martin  Farquhar  Tupper,  and  the  artist  Cruikshank,  who 
had  illustrated  several  of  the  English  editions  of  "  Uncle 
Tom's  Cabin."  He  asked  many  questions  about  the  ap 
pearance  of  the  slaves  and  the  topography  of  the  country 
in  Kentucky,  as  well  as  the  style  of  the  houses,  dress  of  the 
planters'  families,  and  other  details. 

It  was  destined  to  be  their  most  dissipated  day  in 
London,  for  they  were  engaged  to  dine  at  Sir  Edward  Bux- 
ton's,  and  by  the  time  she  had  arrived  there  Mrs.  Stowe  was 
was  quite  exhausted.  But  she  met  a  number  of  people 
whom  she  was  exceedingly  interested  to  see,  Mr.  Samuel 
Gurney,  the  father  of  Lady  Buxton,  who  was  a  brother  of 
Elizabeth  Fry,  with  his  wife  and  daughters,  all  of  whom 
had  the  air  of  benevolent  friendliness,  which  is  character 
istic  of  the  Quakers  ;  Dr.  Lushington,  the  venerable  asso 
ciate  in  Parliament  of  Wilberforce,  some  fifty  years  before; 
Dr.  Cunningham ;  and  a  master  of  Harrow  School,  with 
whom  she  had  a  long  conversation  upon  educational  litera 
ture,  Greek,  and  Latin. 

The  next  evening  they  dined  at  Lord  Shaftesbury's? 
meeting  such  guests  as  Dr.  McCall,  Hebrew  professor  in 
King's  College,  Lord  Wriothsley  Russell,  one  of  the  private 
Chaplains  of  the  Queen,  the  Archbishop  of  Canterbury, 
the  Bishop  of  Tuam,  Lord  Chief  Justice  Campbell,  Lady 
Stratheden,  Lord  and  Lady  Palmerston  and  others. 

On  the  13th  of  May  the  Stowe  party  all  went  out  to  Stoke- 
Newington  to  visit  Mr.  Alexander,  a  genial  Quaker  who 
was  a  particular  friend  of  Dr.  Lyman  Beecher,  who  passed 
many  pleasant  hours  there  when  in  England.  With  him 


192  THE   LIFE   WORK  OF  THE   AUTHOR   OF 

they  attended  the  Congregational  Union,  which  was  then 
in  session,  occupying  seats  upon  the  platform,  where  they 
were  the  cynosure  of  hundreds  of  interested  eyes.  After  a 
resolution  introduced  by  Mr.  Binney,  expressive  of  love  and 
good  fellowship  with  their  American  brethren,  the  Rev. 
John  Angell  made  an  address  glowing  with  enthusiasm  and 
constantly  interrupted  by  applause,  which  gave  welcome  to 
the  author  of  "Uncle  Tom's  Cabin"  and  paid  a  ringing 
tribute  to  the  work  and  the  good  cause  for  which  it  had 
been  written. 

Professor  Stowe  replied,  making  brief  mention  of  the 
connection  of  his  English  ancestors  with  the  Congrega 
tional  churches  of  London,  and  amid  great  cheering,  stated 
his  belief  that  as  a  body  the  Congregationalists  of  the 
United  States  were  free  from  the  sin  of  slavery,  that  he  did 
not  think  there  was  a  Congregational  church  in  the  United 
States  in  which  a  member  could  hold  slaves  without  subject 
ing  himself  to  discipline.  This  remark,  which  the  Professor 
afterward  modified,  was  received  with  vociferous  acclama 
tion,  and  his  whole  address,  which  gave  a  resume  of  the 
religious  and  political  situation  in  America,  was  heard  with 
intense  interest. 

At  Stoke-Newington  was  the  grave  of  Dr.  Watts,  which 
was  visited,  and  the  place  held  further  interest  as  the  home 
of  Daniel  Defoe,  whom,  with  Shakespeare,  and  Bunyan, 
Mrs.  Stowe  considered  a  model  in  the  English  language. 
That  evening,  Mrs.  Stowe  overpowered  by  fatigue,  was 
obliged  to  forego  a  dinner  at  the  Highland  School,  and  one 
at  Charles  Dickens1. 

On  the  evening  of  the  sixteenth  of -May  was  the  great 
Anti-Slavery  meeting  at  Exeter  Hall.  The  event  was  ac- 


UNCLE   TOM'S   CABIN.  193 

cepted  at  that  time  as  a  public  representation  of  the  strong 
democratic,  religious  element  of  England.  Lord  Shaftesbury 
was  in  the  chair,  the  Duchess  of  Sutherland  was  cheered  as 
she  came  in  and  took  a  seat  in  the  gallery,  and  when  Mrs. 
Stowe  entered  taking  her  place  by  the  side  of  her  grace,  the 
excitement  was  so  demonstrative  that  even  after  her  ex 
perience  in  Scotland,  its  vehemence  and  volcanic  power 
made  her  tremble.  She  thought  she  saw  plainly  enough 
where  Concord,  Lexington  and  Bunker  Hill  came  from,  for 
it  seemed  that  there  was  enough  of  this  element  of  indigna 
tion  at  wrong  and  resistance  to  tyranny,  to  found  half  a 
dozen  republics  as  strong  as  the  United  States.  A  woman 
fainted  in  a  distant  part  of  the  house  and  a  policeman  at 
tempted  to  force  a  way  with  her  through  the  densely  packed 
crowd.  The  services  were  stayed  for  a  few  moments,  and 
the  dark  mass  of  human  beings  surged  like  a  mighty  sea 
sending  up  hoarse  murmurings,  showing  only  too  plainly  to 
those  above  what  a  terrible  scene  might  ensue  should  any 
panic  occur  or  sudden  excitement  break  up  the  order  of  the 
meeting. 

The  speeches,  with  the  exception  of  Lord  Shaftes- 
bury's,  were  denunciatory  and  painful  to  the  national  feel 
ing  of  the  Americans.  It  was  the  swinging  of  the  old 
Saxon  battle  axe,  without  fear  or  favor;  but  when  Professor 
Stowe  spoke  in  response,  dwelling  on  the  fact  that  the  cot 
ton  trade  of  England  was  the  principal  support  to  slavery, 
and  read  extracts  from  Charleston  papers,  which  boldly  de 
clared  that  they  did  not  care  for  any  amount  of  moral  in 
dignation  wasted  upon  them,  by  nations  who  after  all  must 
buy  the  cotton  they  raised  and  sold,  the  great  gathering 
seemed  to  be  agitated  with  a  new  idea  of  the  situation. 
13 


194  THE   LIFE   WORK   OF   THE   AUTHOR   OF 

The  meeting  was  a  very  long  one,  and  Mrs.  Stowe 
quite  worn  out  with  excitement  and  fatigue  when  it  was 
over. 

The  next  day  the  Stowes  were  invited  to  a  luncheon 
party  which  numbered  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Binney,  Eev.  Mr. 
Sherman,  Lady  Hatherton  and  Lady  Byron,  whom  Mrs. 
Stowe  had  not  met.  But  she  preferred  a  quiet  day  with 
her  family  and  went  to  Windsor,  the  place  which  embodies 
the  English  idea  of  royalty,  and  which  has  been  immortal 
ized  by  Shakespeare's  "  Merry  Wives,"  and  had  still  stand 
ing  in  its  park  the  Herne  Oak,  where  the  mischievous 
fairies  played  their  pranks  upon  old  Falstaff.  Here  also 
was  the  fishing  ground  of  Izaak  Walton,  and  the  gentlemen 
of  the  American  party  were  very  joyous  and  filled  with  an 
ticipations. 


CHAPTER  IX. 

A  FAMILY  PARTY  AT  WINDSOR.  MISPLACED  SENTIMENTAL- 
ISM,  PORTRAIT  OF  MRS.  STOWE  BY  RICHMOND.  A  BROWN 
SILK  DRESS  FOR  THE  AUTHOR  OF  UNCLE  TOM'S  CABIN,  THE 
OCCASION  OF  AGITATION  ALL  OVER  ENGLAND.  MRS.  STOWE 
DINING  WITH  THE  DUKE  OF  ARGYLE.  A  SECOND  MEETING 
WITH  MR.  GLADSTONE.  MRS.  STOWE'S  RECOLLECTIONS  OF 
HIM.  A  RECENT  LETTER  FROM  HIM  TESTIFYING  TO  THE 
FAVORABLE  IMPRESSIONS  OF  THE  AUTHOR  OF  UNCLE  TOM'S 
CABIN  RETAINED  BY  THE  GRAND  OLD  MAN.  BREAKFAST 
AT  RICHARD  COBDEN'S.  CONCERT  AT  STAFFORDHOUSE. 
THE  BLACK  SWAN.  FIRST  MEETING  WITH  LADY  BYRON 
PRESENTATION  OF  A  MASSIVE  SILVER  INKSTAND  AND  GOLD 
PEN  TO  MRS.  STOWE.  WITH  MARIA  WESTON  CHAPMAN 
IN  PARIS.  SOME  ART  CRITICISMS.  THROUGH  SWITZER 
LAND.  MRS.  STOWE  ARRAIGNED  FOR  CRUELTY  TO  AN 
ANIMAL. 

IT  was  a  merry,  alert  and  critical  party  which  went 
through  the  state  apartments  at  Windsor,  and  Mrs.  Stowe 
and  her  irrepressible  brother  Charles,  had  many  a  disputa 
tion  on  art,  in  which  the  little  woman  was  not  usually 
worsted,  and  the  grave  Professor  listened  with  amusement 
and  not  a  little  pride  at  the  clash  of  friendly  arms.  Mrs. 
Stowe  was  beginning  to  realize  her  possibilities  as  an  art 
critic  and,  in  her  discussions  and  conclusions,  evinced  a 
penetrating  appreciation  of  the  essentials  that  was  most 

195 


196  THE   LIFE   WORK   OF   THE    AUTHOR   OF 

gratifying  to  her  husband,  who  had  been  over  this  ground 
before  and  thought  out  many  of  the  ideas  to  which  she, 
with  rare  insight,  jumped  at  a  bound.  A  fragment  of  her 
experience  gives  an  instance  of  her  freedom  from  conven 
tional  influences,  which  was  eminently  characteristic 
and  is  particularly  delicious  in  these  days  when  common 
sense  seems  to  have  almost  nothing  to  do  with  "high  art." 
They  had  seen  a  certain  group  of  statuary,  nothing  less  than 
the  monument  to  the  Princess  Charlotte  in  St.  George's 
Chapel.  They  were  enchanted  with  the  pathos  of  it,  and 
the  technical  working  of  all  the  effects.  Furthermore,  it 
made  them  all  cry,  a  fact  of  which,  Mrs.  Stowe  always  main 
tained,  she  was  not  ashamed. 

Next  day  she  was  expressing  her  admiration  of  it  to  an 
artist,  one  of  the  authorities,  when  he  professed  it  a  shock 
ing  thing,  in  bad  taste,  and  as  a  final  condemnation,  pro 
nounced  it  terribly  melodramatic.  Mrs.  Stowe  felt  for  an 
instant  inclined  to  reconsider  her  tears,  for  this  critic  kneiv 
everything  that  should  be  admired,  but  her  own  sense 
came  to  her  support,  and  very  pithily  she  afterwards 
wrote :  "  A  thing  may  be  melodramatic  or  any  other  otic 
that  a  man  pleases;  so  that  it  be  strongly  suggestive, 
poetic,  pathetic,  it  has  its  own  peculiar  place  in  the  world 
of  art.  If  artists  had  their  way  in  the  creation  of  this 
world,  there  would  have  been  only  two  or  three  kinds  of 
things  in  it;  the  first  three  or  four  things  that  God  created 
would  have  been  enacted  into  fixed  rules  for  making  all 
the  rest."  This  with  much  more,  equally  apart  from  artis 
tic  canons,  and  free  from  binding  rules,  was  elicited  by  the 
word  of  the  artist,  which  was  intended  to  be  final  with  her, 
as  his  verdict  was  known  to  be,  with  English  society 


UNCLE   TOM'S   CABIN.  197 

The  Stowe  party  dined  at  the  White  Hart,  that  day  in 
Windsor,  and  under  the  influence  of  the  rollicking  tradi 
tions  which  group  around  the  place,  and  the  fact  that  hus 
band  and  wife,  brother,  sister-in-law  and  nephew  had  not 
been  for  so  long  a  time  alone  together,  they  had  an  over 
flowing,  merry  time  of  it. 

They  rode  to  Eton  and  saw  the  boys  playing  cricket. 
They  leaned  pensively  upon  the  wall  and  recited  Gray's 
Elegy  over  a  churchyard,  which,  however,  was  not  quite 
satisfactorily  denned  as  the  one  thought  of  by  the  poet. 

After  getting  separated  from  the  youngest  member 
of  the  party,  and  losing  an  opportunity  to  visit  Labou- 
chere  Park  in  consequence,  they  returned  to  London 
to  find  that  their  "dispositions  to  melancholies"  had  been 
indulged  over  a  spurious  churchyard — that  the  one  they 
looked  for  was  at  Stoke.  There  was  nothing  to  console 
them  except  the  thought  that  the  emotion  at  least  was  ad 
mirable,  if  misplaced. 

They  were  staying  with  the  rector  of  Mary-le-Bone  par 
ish,  one  of  the  largest  districts  in  London,  who  was  also 
one  of  the  court  chaplains.  Professor  and  Mrs.  Stowe 
met  many  eminent  divines  there,  and  with  him  they  went 
to  the  studio  of  Eichmond,  the  celebrated  artist,  to  whom 
Mrs.  Stowe  was  to  sit  for  a  portrait,  which  was  to  be  pre 
sented  to  Professor  Stowe  by  several  of  his  friends. 

This  was  done  in  crayon,  and  was  forwarded  to  the  United 
States  in  an  appropriate  frame,  at  the  foot  of  which  was  a 
tablet  with  this  inscription — 


198  THE   LIFE   WORK   OF   THE   AUTHOR   OF 

THIS  PORTRAIT  OF 

HARRIET  BEECHER  STOWE, 

FEOM  THE  SAME  HAND  WHICH  DREW  TO  THE  LIFE 

WILBERFORCE,  BUXTON  AND  ELIZABETH  FRY, 

IS  PRESENTED  TO 

HER  HUSBAND  AND  FAMILY 

BY 
SOME  ENGLISH  FRIENDS. 

A.  D.  1853. 

It  is  doubtless  a  rather  idealized  likeness  of  Mrs. 
Stowe  in  the  early  forties,  and  is  at  present  in  possession 
of  her  youngest  daughter,  Georgianna,  wife  of  the  Rev. 
Chas.  F.  Allen,  rector  of  the  Church  of  the  Messiah  in 
Boston.  The  accompanying  plate  was  engraved  from  a 
copy  of  the  picture,  which  was  courteously  loaned  to  the 
writer  by  the  Rev.  Charles  E.  Stowe,  of  Hartford,  Conn. 

Professor  and  Mrs.  Stowe  went  to  call  upon  Kossuth 
who  since  his  liberation  and  return  from  his  visit  to  Amer 
ica  had  been  living  in  obscure  lodgings  in  London.  The 
Revolutionist  held  a  firm  faith  in  the  triumph  of  his  cause, 
one  which  incited  him  a  little  later,  upon  the  outbreak  of 
the  Italian  war  against  Austria,  to  lead  nearly  all  of  the 
Hungarian  refuges  to  Italy. 

The  Stowes  dined  with  Lord  John  Russell  and  met  sev 
eral  distinguished  people.  They  were  entertained  at  Lam 
beth  Palace  by  the  Archbishop  of  Canterbury,  and  visited 
at  Palyford  Hall,  the  oldest  of  the  fortified  houses  in  Eng 
land,  and  the  only  one  which,  according  to  the  feudal  cus 
tom,  kept  water  in  its  moat.  It  had  been  for  some  years 


UNCLE   TOM'S   CAB1X.  199 

the  residence  of  Thomas  Clarkson,  and  was  then  occupied 
by  his  widow  and  family.  What  reminiscences  of  the  old 
time  were  talked  over  that  day!  Of  the  by-gone  age  when 
good,  pious  people  imported  cargoes  of  slaves  as  they  did 
sugar,  molasses  and  ruin.  When  these  articles  of  mer 
chandise  were  supposed  of  necessity  to  come  together  to  the 
English  shores.  Of  the  experiences  of  the  reformer,  who  so 
early  dared  to  condemn  the  trade,  and  the  signs  of  the  com 
ing  crisis  in  American  affairs. 

And  what  strength  and  hope  were  gathered  in,  consid 
ering  how  the  victory  over  wrong  was  won,  and  might  be 
won  again! 

About  this  time  arose  an  agitation  in  London  at  which, 
seeing  the  insignificance  of  its  immediate  origin,  one  feels 
tempted  to  smile  but  realizing  that  its  source  was  in  the  new 
unrest  and  change  of  ideas  upon  various  questions  of  public 
good,  it  assumes  an  importance  quite  disproportionate  to 
its  local  cause.  It  was  nothing  of  more  consequence 
than  the  making  of  a  dress  for  the  author  of  "  Uncle  Tom's 
Cabin,"  which  set  society  seething  and  provoked  the  vehem 
ent  denunciations  of  the  great  London  journals,  from  which 
echoes  were  heard  across  the  sea. 

When  Mrs.  Stowe  was  preparing  to  go  abroad,  she  was 
so  utterly  worn  out,  and  upon  several  occasions  really  ill, 
that  her  modest  arrangements  were  somewhat  delayed. 
There  was  a  brown  Chinese  silk  which  remained  to  be 
fitted  when  Mrs.  Stowe  was  too  much  exhausted  to  come 
under  the  hands  of  the  dress-maker,  and  it  was  therefore 
folded  and  put  into  the  trunk,  to  be  made  in  England  in 
case  it  was  needed 

Finding  that  constant  travel  was  considerably  dimmingthe 
freshness  of  her  wardrobe,  Mrs.  Stowe  now  decided  to  have 


200  THE   LIFE   WORK   OF   THE    AUTHOR   OF 

the  brown  silk  made.  A  kind  friend  volunteered  to  man 
age  the  business,  and  in  due  time  a  respectable  person 
waited  upon  Mrs.  Stowe,  offering  to  make  the  dress  for  a 
specified  sum.  Peacefully  anticipating  the  return  of  the 
completed  garment,  Mrs.  Stowe  was  astounded  one  morn 
ing  to  read  in  the  Times  a  thundering  leader,  which  stated 
the  important  fact  that  Mrs.  Stowe  had  contracted  for  the 
making  of  a  new  gown,and  asked  if  she  knew  in  what  kind  of 
a  place  the  dress  was  made.  The  editorial  was  accompanied 
by  a  letter  from  a  dress-maker's  apprentice,  stating  that  it 
was  done  piecemeal,  in  some  of  the  most  shocking  and  dis 
tressed  dens  in  London,  by  poor,  miserable  white  slaves, 
who  were  worse  treated  than  the  African  slaves  in  Amer 
ica.  Immediately  upon  the  publication  of  this,  came  let 
ters  from  all  parts  of  England,  earnestly  begging  Mrs. 
Stowe  to  interfere,  deprecating  the  possibility  that  she  was 
patronizing  the  holders  of  the  white  slaves  of  England,  and 
urging  that  she  would  employ  her  talents  against  oppres 
si  on  in  every  form. 

Mrs.  Stowe  sent  for  the  woman  who  took  the  dress, 
thereby  assuming  unconsciously  the  burden  of  the  celebrated 
author's  public  patronage,  who  appeared  in  a  very  tragical 
state,  protested  her  ignorance  of  any  dens,  and  insisted  that 
she  held  no  slaves.  The  Times  implied  that  Mrs.  Stowe 
ought  to  take  up  the  matter  at  once,  array  herself  against 
the  system  presumably  by  refusing  to  accept  the  work 
and  not  profit  by  means  of  its  starvation  labor.  The 
whimsicality  of  the  affair  did  not  appear  to  strike  the 
literal  British  mind,  and  instantly  the  public  was  awake, 
even  alert,  with  sympathy  with  the  poor  needlewomen,  who 
doubtless  needed  it  badly  enough,  but  who  it  may  be 
assumed  were  not  especially  ground  down  by  the  making 


UNCLE   TOM'S  CABIN.  201 

of  Mrs.  Stowe's  plain  dress.  As  a  result  of  the  agitation, 
Lord  Shaftesbury  brought  forward  documents  issued  by  him 
within  the  previous  seven  years,  several  of  which  were  di 
rected  particularly  towards  the  relief  of  overworked  and 
poorly  paid,  milliners  and  dressmakers.  It  appeared  that 
Societies  had  been  formed  some  years  before  for  the  amelior 
ation  of  the  condition  of  needlewomen  and  had  a  large  mem 
bership  among  the  great  and  influential  ladies,  not  only  in 
London,  but  in  Manchester  and  other  cities.  It  therefore 
was  seen  that  this  to  do  was  but  the  revival  of  past  agita 
tions,  and  while  doubtless  of  benefit  in  keeping  alive  the 
sympathy  for  that  class  of  workers,  in  calling  renewed  at 
tention  to  their  ill-paid  labor,  it  was  a  decidedly  unpleasant 
episode  for  the  American  woman  who,  quite  unaware,  be 
came  a  prominent  object  to  which  to  fasten  a  manifesto. 

Professor  and  Mrs.  Stowe  dined  with  the  Duke  of  Argyle 
meeting  again  Lord  Carlisle,  the  Duchess  of  Sutherland  and 
their  daughter  Lady  Blantyre,  with  Lord  Blantyre,  Lady 
Caroline  Campbell,  the  Duke's  sister,  the  scientist,  Sir  David 
Brewster,  Lord  Mahon,  the  historian,  and  his  wife,  and  Mr. 
Gladstone,  then  one  of  the  ablest  and  best  men  in  the  king 
dom.  Mrs.  Stowe  looked  at  him  with  much  interest  and 
thought  that  for  one  who  had  already  attained  such  celeb 
rity  both  in  theology,  and  politics,  he  looked  remarkably 
young.  He  was  tall,  with  dark  hair  and  eyes.  He  had  a 
thoughtful  face  and  was  very  agreeable  and  easy  in  his 
manners. 

A  letter  recently  received  from  the  hand  of  the  great 
English  statesman,  testifies  that  the  favorable  impression 
was  mutual,  for  after  thirty-five  years  he  writes  "  the  fact 
has  not  escaped  my  memory  that  I  had  the  honor  of  meet 
ing  her  (Mrs.  Stowe)  at  dinner." 


202  THE    LIFE    WORK    OF    THE   AUTHOR   OF 

The  last  week  in  May,  when  England  was  in  the  height 
of  its  fresh  summer  beauty,  they  went  to  breakfast  at  Rich 
ard  Cobden's.  The  eminent  and  very  popular  "  apostle  of 
Free  Trade,"  was  a  slender  man,  rather  under  medium 
height  with  a  lithe,  springy  body  and  a  frank  and  most  fas 
cinating  smile.  His  appearance  seemed  to  be  sufficient  rea 
son  for  his  popularity,  for  his  very  presence  seemed  to  bring 
with  it  an  atmoshere  of  life  and  exhilaration.  Their  con 
versation  turned  naturally  upon  politics,  and  the  compara 
tive  condition  of  England  and  America,  and  the  vexed 
question  of  the  cultivation  of  cotton  by  free  labor,  was  thor 
oughly  ventilated. 

Professor  Stowe's  speeches  on  the  subject  of  cotton  made 
no  little  agitation  in  the  British  mind.  The  London  papers 
were  full  of  them  and  the  question,  declaring  for  or  against  the 
trade  with  considerable  earnestness.  These  practical  Amer 
icans  had  some  ideas  which  proved  strongly  disturbing  to 
the  English  heart,  just  then  very  complacent  and  somewhat 
superior,  on  account  of  their  precedence  in  the  abolition  of 
slavery.  It  was  disagreeable  to  be  told  in  effect,  that  self- 
righteous  congratulations  over  the  emancipation  of  their 
own  slaves,  were  hardly  consistent  with  the  support  of  slave 
holders  in  the  United  States,  who  were  able,  by  means  of 
slave  labor,  to  furnish  cotton  to  English  markets. 

After  dining  at  Surrey  parsonage,  they  went  the  same 
evening,  to  a  concert  at  Stafford  House,  which  was  of  more 
than  ordinary  interest  to  them,  being  in  the  great  hall  before 
described,  presided  over  by  Sir  George  Smart,  attended  by 
the  cream  of  the  nobility,  in  handsome  demi -toilets,  while 
the  singer  was  an  American  negress,  Miss  Greenfield,  assisted 
by  the  best  glee  club  in  London.  The  phenomenal  voice 


UNCLE   TOM'S  CABIN.  20& 

of  the  singer  called  "The  Black  Swan,"  Mrs.Stowe  describes 
as  so  keen,  vibrant  and  penetrating,  that  it  cut  its  way  to 
the  heart  like  a  Damascus  blade.  With  its  double  timbre, 
the  songstress  made  most  startling  effects,  for  instance  sing 
ing  "  Old  Folks  at  Home,"  one  verse  in  a  pure  tenor,  and 
the  next  in  a  thrilling  bird-like  soprano.  Two  of  the 
Duke's  Highland  pipers  made  their  appearance  after  the 
concert  was  over,  playing  their  bagpipes  as  they  prome 
naded  the  Halls.  Their  wild  barbaric  playing  and  brilliant 
costume,  recalling  the  picturesque  garb  of  the  ideal  Amer 
ican  Indians,  had  a  peculiar  effect,  and  proved  again  the 
artistic  skill  with  which  the  Duchess  contrived  to  etihance 
her  famous  entertainments.  The  Kev.  K.  S.  Ward,  a  full 
blooded  African,  was  a  notable  figure  in  the  scene. 

Later  in  the  evening,  brother  Charles  Beecher  persuaded 
Mrs.  Stowe  to  accept  with  him  an  invitation  to  hear  the 
oratorio  of  "  The  Creation,"  at  Exeter  Hall,  as  performed  by 
the  London  Sacred  Harmonic  Society.  There  was  a  gallery 
reserved  for  them,  and  Mr.  Surman,  the  founder  and  conduc 
tor  of  the  society  presented  Mrs.  Stowe  with  a  beautifully 
bound  copy  of  the  score. 

About  this  time  while  taking  luncheon  with  a  friend  at 
Oxford  Terrace,  Mrs.  Stowe  met  Lady  Byron,  with  whom 
she  had  a  few  moments  conversation.  In  that  brief  time 
the  hearts  of  the  two  women  met,  and  that  friendship  which 
afterwards  led  Harriet  Beecher  Stowe  into  a  painful  posi 
tion,  but  which  to  the  last  had  not  released  a  tithe  of  its 
affectionate  tenacity,  was  formed.  Mrs.  Stowe  described 
Lady  Byron  at  that  period  as  slight,  delicately  formed,  with 
face,  form,  dress  and  air  uniting  to  impress  one  with  her 
singularly  dignified,  pure  and  gentle,  yet  strong  character. 


204:  THE   LIFE   WORK   OF    THE    AUTHOR   OF 

A  few  words  dropped  by  her  upon  the  religious  aspect  of 
England — remarks  of  such  quality  as  are  seldom  heard— 
made  their  way  to  the  inner  soul  of  the  strong  earnest 
American  woman,  and  nothing  ever  occurred  to  make 
her  swerve  from  her  firm  loyalty,  to  the  much  discussed  and 
vilified  wife  of  the  erratic  poet.  Mrs.  Stowe  found  that 
Lady  Byron's  course  had  been  made  beautiful  by  consis 
tent,  active  benevolence,  and  her  feelings  went  out  to  her 
spontaneously  as  the  patroness  of  the  American  outcasts, 
William  and  Ellen  Crafts,  those  names  memorable  in  An 
nals  of  Boston  Abolitionism.  She  observed  the  frailty  of 
Lady  Byron's  health  with  concern,  and  in  subsequent  inter 
views  they  held  those  conversations,  which  in  later  years 
made  the  subject  of  one  of  Mrs.  Stowe's  most  earnest  and 
conscientious  strokes  for  what  she  believed  to  be  justice. 

Upon  the  soirees  attended,  the  interesting  and  dis 
tinguished  people  met,  the  schools  examined,  the  tenement- 
house  visitations,  which  were  quite  different  in  spirit  and 
manner  from  the  modern  "  slumming,"  and  the  model  lodg 
ing  houses  exhibited  under  the  enthusiastic  leading  of  Lord 
Shaftesbury,  it  is  impossible  to  enlarge. 

It  is  the  history  of  one  of  the  most  wonderfully  honored 
and  distinguished  visits  ever  made  by  an  American  to  the 
old  country.  There  are  chapters  in  every  day's  experience 
and  thoughts  sufficient  to  fill  volumes. 

Professor  Stowe,  having  quite  used  up  his  leave  of  ab 
sence,  bade  good  bye  to  his  wife,  and  sailed  for  New  York 
on  the  first  of  June,  to  resume  his  duties  at  Andover. 
Mrs.  Stowe,  her  sister-in-law,  her  young  nephew  and 
William  Buckingham  crossed  to  the  Continent,  under 
convoy  of  Charles  Beecher. 


UNCLE   TOM'S  CABIN.  205 

Not  however,  until  Mrs.  Stowe  had  been  invited  to 
an  entertainment  made  in  her  honor  at  Surrey  Chapel, 
where  Lord  Shaftesbury  occupied  the  chair ;  the  Duchess 
of  Argyle  and  Marchioness  of  Stafford  attended ;  Miss 
Greenfield  sang  several  songs  ;  Eev.  Mr.  Binney  threw 
back  to  the  nobility  through  Lord  Shaftesbury,  the 
compliments  showered  by  that  gentleman  upon  the  peo 
ple.  Both  said  obliging  things  about  and  to  Mrs. 
Stowe,  and  the  ladies  ended  by  presenting  her  with  a  solid 
silver  inkstand,  and  a  band  of  children  added  a  gold  pen. 

The  inkstand,  which  for  years  was  a  familiar  object 
upon  Mrs.  Stowe's  desk  in  her  library  at  Hartford,  and  is 
still  undimmed  in  its  sterling  lustre  by  the  lapse  of  time 
and  conditions  of  atmosphere,  is  eighteen  inches  long  with 
a  group  of  silver  figures  upon  it,  representing  Eeligion 
with  a  Bible  in  her  hand  giving  Liberty  to  the  Slave. 

The  figures,  particularly  that  of  the  Slave,  are  masterly. 
He  stands  with  hands  clasped  for  joy,  while  a  white  man 
knocks  the  fetters  from  his  feet.  It  bears  this  inscription : 


206  THE   LIFE   WORK    OF   THE   AUTHOR   OF 

Mrs.  Stowe  was  much  moved  by  the  testimonial,  but  the 
only  speech  she  made,  was  to  the  children,  who  bore  the 
gold  pen.  She  gathered  them  around  her  and  talked  a 
few  minutes. 

On  the  fourth  of  June,  the  party  started  for  Paris,  hav 
ing  a  smooth  passage  across  the  dreaded  Channel  and  escap 
ing  the  custom  officers  with  little  annoyance.  They  found 
a  home  with  friends  who  were  anticipating  their  arrival  with 
enthusiasm,  and  soon  began  to  enjoy  Paris.  Charles  Beech er 
found  where  all  the  best  music  was  to  be  heard,  and,  ac 
companied  by  her  friend,  no  less  a  person  than  Maria  Wes- 
ton  Chapman,  the  noted  abolitionist,  an  American  lady 
whom  years  of  residence  there  had  converted  into  a  verita 
ble  Parisienne,  Mrs.  Stowe  visited  the  shops  and  reveled  in 
the  fascinations  which  were  dear  to  her  woman's  heart/and 
the  tastes  which  were  natural,  and  never  to  be  perverted  by 
any  possible  hardening  or  decolorizing  influences. 

The  brother  and  sister  visited  the  Louvre,  and  took  in 
their  fill  of  art,  and,  much  to  Charles  Beecher's  exultation, 
his  sister  was  obliged  to  recant  some  of  what  he  called  her 
heresies,  in  regard  to  the  masters. 

Mrs.  Stowe  acknowledged  that  for  the  first  time  in  her 
life  she  was  filled,  permeated,  deliciously  saturated  and  un- 
expressibly  satisfied  with  her  feast  of  pictures.  Having 
lived  for  days  in  the  enchanting  atmosphere  of  Paris,  hav 
ing  visited  the  boulevards,  the  Bois,  the  Luxembourg,  the 
Tuileries,  and  Versailles,  .they  drove  some  three  miles  out 
of  town  to  the  villa  of  Monsieur  Belloc,  the  Director  of  the 
Imperial  School  of  Design,  whose  wife  it  was  who,  had 
first  translated  "Uncle  Tom's  Cabin"  into  French,  with 


UNCLE   TOM'S   CABIN.  207 

whom  there  had  been  a  delightful  correspondence  for  some 
months. 

This  time  in  Paris  was  a  delicious  rest  and  refreshment 
to  Mrs.  Stowe,  who  had  for  years  been  wrestling  with  the 
stern  necessities  of  life,  putting  forth  and  enforcing  ideas 
and  principles  bearing  upon  the  needs  of  the  human  race, 
meeting  the  friction  of  strong  minds,  with  the  firm,  keen 
surface  of  her  own  intellectuality.  She  wrote  to  a  friend  ; 
"  At  last  I  have  come  into  dreamland;  into  the  lotos  eater's 
paradise ;  into  the  land  where  it  is  always  afternoon.  I  am 
released  from  care  ,  I  am  unknown  and  unknowing ;  I  live 
in  a  house  whose  arrangements  seem  to  be  strange,  old  and 
dreamy.  My  time  is  all  my  own." 

She  was  free  to  enjoy  to  the  full,  the  light  airiness  of 
local  existence,  to  fill  her  soul  with  beautiful  forms  and 
ideas  in  art,  to  wander  aimlessly  in  the  gardens,  hearing  the 
bands  of  music,  watching  the  children  play,  viewing  with 
no  responsibility,  the  gay  fleck  and  foam  of  the  irredescent 
life  of  Paris. 

All  the  joyousness,  all  the  humor,  all  the  love  of  the 
beautiful,  which  in  her  was  a  cultivated  inheritance  from 
her  sweet  mother,  all  the  artistic  feeling,  which  was  some 
times  smothered  under  the  cares  and  restrictions  of  "New 
England  life,  burst  forth  and  blossomed  into  exquisite  flow 
ers  of  fancy  and  graceful  expression.  In  reading  the  letters 
sent  from  Paris  to  her  husband  and  friends,  one  obtains  a 
new  comprehension  of  the  softer,  the  aesthetic  side,  of  her 
nature,  which  indeed  appears  occasionally  in  her  writings, 
but  was  known  only  in  its  fullest  beauty  to  the  intimate 
friends,  who  saw  it  called  forth  day  by  day  by  a  flower,  a 
fine  painting,  a  view  of  a  lovely  landscape,  a  handsome  build- 


208  THE   LIFE   WORK   OF   THE   AUTHOR  OF 

ing,  a  pretty  child,  a  picturesque  person,  a  patient  animal, 
or  a  dainty  bird. 

She  was  peculiarly  susceptible  to  the  simplicity  of  nature, 
and  equally  responsive  to  the  niceties  of  art  and  civilized 
existence.  Her  great,  broad  nature  enjoyed  as  well,  the 
upthrusting  of  a  blade  of  grass,  or  the  formulation  of  a 
grand  idea  for  the  benefit  of  the  whole  human  race.  When 
in  one  personality  is  so  combined  strength,  morality,  re 
ligious  feeling,  taste,  humor  and  kindness,  there  is  seen  a 
notable  character.  This  one  has  left  its  impress  upon  the 
universal  mind  and  serves  as  an  adored  example  of  human 
possibility  to  every  one  who  was  fortunate  enough  to  have 
known  her. 

The  naturalness  and  unsullied  truth  of  her  art  criticisms, 
are  a  marvel  to  those  who  have  to  learn  how  to  feel,  about 
pictures  and  statuary.  She  carried  into  the  galleries  the 
balance  with  which  she  examined  everything  in  life,  and 
her  opinions  were  strangely  true  to  art  in  its  best  sense. 
Pages  of  pertinent  paragraphs  could  be  quoted  for  the  bene 
fit  of  those  who  may  sometime  see  the  pictures,  without 
the  discriminating  taste  which  was  her  own,  but  only  one 
or  two  can  be  given. 

"  There  were  Raphaels  there,  which  still  disappointed  me, 
because  from  Raphael  I  asked  and  expected  more.  I  wished 
to  feel  his  hand  on  my  soul  with  firmer  grasp ;  these  were  too 
passionless  in  their  serenity  and  almost  effeminate  in  their 
tenderness." 

"  But  Rubens,  the  great  joyous,  full-souled,  all-powerful 
Rubens!  —  there  he  was,  full  as  ever  of  triumphant 
abounding  life  ;  disgusting  and  pleasing  ;  making  me  laugh, 
and  making  me  angry;  defying  me  to  like  him;  dragging 


UNCLE  TOM'S  CABIN.  209 

me  at  his  chariot  wheels ;  in  despite  of  my  protest,  forcing 
me  to  confess  that  there  was  no  other  but  he." 

Kemember,  reader,  that  this  was  written  thirty-five  years 
ago,  before  Europe,  art,  and  the  old  masters,  had  been  dis 
cussed  by  every  one,  fit  and  unfit.  If  you  fail  to  see  origin 
ality  in  these  criticisms  remember  that  many  a  flowery 
critique  may  have  been  founded  upon  them.  If  you  do 
not  perceive  their  truth,  realize  that  perhaps  couvention- 
alties  have  deprived  us  of  the  freshness  and  penetrating 
appreciation  which  were  hers,  inherent  and  so  thoroughly 
characteristic  that  nothing  served  to  dim  the  clearness  of 
her  vision,  which  always  looked  straight  through  the  film 
of  various  and  accruing  thought,  to  the  essentials  in  what 
ever  she  regarded. 

"One  of  my  favorites  was  Rembrandt.  I  always  did 
admire  the  gorgeous  and  solemn  mysteries  of  his  coloring. 
Rembrandt  is  like  Hawthorne.  He  chooses  simple  and 
every  day  objects  and  so  arranges  his  light  and  shadow  as 
to  give  them  a  sombre  richness  and  a  mysterious  gloom. 
The  House  of  Seven  Gables  is  a  succession  of  Rembrandt 
pictures  done  in  words  instead  of  oils." 

Mrs.  Stowe  did  not  forget,  as  many  picture  lovers  do, 
that  art  is  not  confined  to  brush  and  pigments. 

She  was  one  of  the  first  to  express,  what  we  all  may 
have  felt,  of  the  relation  of  all  branches  of  art  to 
each  other.  She  compared  Milton  to  grand  organ  tones 
in  music;  she  saw  the  Shakespearean  flavor  in  the 
variety  and  vital  force  of  Rubens'  artistic  power.  Paul 
de  la  Roche  suggested  the  picturesqueness  of  Walter  Scott. 
She  saw  in  the  French  galleries  a  dramatic  effect  which 
was  unworthy  as  it  must  weary  upon  close  acquaintance. 
14 


210  THE  LIFE  WOKK   OF   THE   AUTHOR   OF 

She  felt  the  poetry  in  the  architecture  of  one  cathedral,  and 
heard  an  anthem  in  the  solemn  harmony  of  another  grand 
composition  of  stone.  In  French  painting  she  perceived 
the  minor  artistics,  the  exquisite  trivialities  which  pertain 
to  and  characterize  French  life.  She  said  she  would  as 
soon  trust  Tom  Moore  to  write  her  a  prayer  book,  as  Cor- 
regio  to  paint  religious  ideas. 

While  in  Paris  Mrs.  Stowe  made  the  acquaintance  of 
Ary  Schoefier  and  his  pretty  English  wife.  She  saw  his 
celebrated  picture  of  Francisca  de  Eimini  and  was  much 
affected,  feeling  its  agony  of  love  and  despair  as  a  libel 
upon  her  Father  in  Heaven.  She  exclaimed  "  No,  it  is  not 
God,  who  eternally  pursues  undying,  patient  love,  with 
storms  of  vindictive  wrath." 

In  writing  of  Schoeffer  and  his  works,  which  so  pleased 
and  wrought  upon  her  best  feelings,  Mrs.  Stowe  said, — 
"The  knowing  ones  are  much  divided  about  Schoeffer. 
Some  say  he  is  no  painter.  Nothing  seems  to  rne  so  utterly 
without  rule  or  compass  as  this  world  of  art.  Divided  into 
little  cliques,  each  with  his  shibboleth,  artists  excommuni 
cate  each  other  as  heartily  as  theologians,  and  a  neophyte 
who  should  attempt  to  make  up  a  judgment  by  their  help 
would  be  obliged  to  shift  opinions  with  every  circle." 

Mrs.  Stowe  predicted  a  success  for  Ary  Schoeffer  and 
said,  with  her  uniform  faith  in  the  judgment  of  unconven 
tional  taste,  "  His  best  reward  is  in  the  judgments  of  the 
unsophisticated  heart.  A  painter  who  does  not  burn  in 
cense  to  his  palette  ancl  worship  his  brushes,  who  rever 
ences  ideas  above  mechanism,  will  have  all  manner  of  evil 
spoken  against  him  by  artists,  but  the  human  heart  will 
always  accept  him.''  This  axiom  can  doubtless  be  applied 


UNCLE  TOM'S  CABIN.  211 

to  all  kinds  of  art  and  fits  none  more  perfectly  than  liter- 
ary  presentations. 

Charles  Beecher  tells  in  his  diary,  of  how  they  attended 
a  musicale  with  the  Princess  Czartoryski  at  the  piano,  and 
Frankomm  of  the  Conservatoire  to  play  his  Stradivarius 
of  great  age  and  fabulous  price ;  when  he  acted  as  inter 
preter  between  the  violinist  and  his  sister,  who  talked 
much  with  the  virtuoso  about  music,  and  found  quite  unex- 
expectedly  that  he  had  read  <c  Uncle  Tom's  Cabin,"  and 
that  lie  protested  when  he  read  it,  "  This  is  genuine  Chris 
tianity."  Charles  Beecher  speaks  in  the  same  place  with 
pride,  of  the  easy  and  dignified  demeanor  of  his  beloved 
and  distinguished  sister,  and  tells  of  the  consideration  every 
where  accorded  her. 

At  a  dinner  party  they  met  La  Eochejacquelin  and  Peter 
Parley,  at  one  time  consul  to  Pans.  While  the  others 
were  chatting,  Weston  Chapman  and  Charles  Beecher 
slipped  out  and  went  to  the  Jardin  Mabille,  of  which  he 
gave  his  sister,  next  morning,  a  very  ingenuous  and  vastly 
entertaining  description. 

On  the  22nd  of  June  the  party  left  Paris  for  Chal 
ons,  thence  by  steamer,  (in  a  boat  so  diminutive  that  Charles 
Beecher  said  he  thought  Tchabod  Crane  might  have  sat 
astride  of  it  and  dipped  his  feet  in  the  water,)  down  the 
Saone  to  the  Ehone  and  Lyons. 

From  Lyons  to  Geneva  by  diligence,  and  they  had  their 
first  view  of  Mount  Blanc.  At  the  Swiss  towns,  people 
began  to  discover  by  some  method  of  thought  transference 
never  to  be  understood,  who  the  little  lady  with  the  bright 
gray  eyes  and  the  brown  curls  was,  and  as  Charles  Beecher 
said  it  was  "Scotland  all  over  again."  Everybody  had 


212  THE   LIFE   WORK   OF   THE   AUTHOR  OF 

read  "Uncle  Tom,"  and  the  honest,  secluded  mountaineers, 
pressed  about  her,  more  than  one  urging  her  to  write 
another  book  for  they  said,  "  Remember,  our  winter  nights 
here  are  very  long." 

One  polished  gentleman  came  to  her  and  said  with  emo 
tion  that  he  "  had  lost  an  Eva "  and  thanked  her  with 
tears,  for  her  beautiful  picture  of  that  sweet  young  life. 
At  Chamouni  they  made  another  halt.  It  is  quite  charac 
teristic  of  Mrs.  Stowe  that  she  said  in  speaking  of  the 
mountains — "  I  rejoiced  every  hour  while  among  those 
scenes,  in  my  familiarity  with  the  language  of  the  Bible. 
In  it  alone,  could  I  find  vocabulary  and  images  to  express 
my  feelings  of  wonder  and  awe." 

The  party  [Mrs.  Stowe,  Mrs.  Beecher,  young  George, 
William  Buckingham  and  Charles  Beecher,]  took  mules  and 
ascended  the  mountains,  to  La  Flegere  from  which  was  then 
to  be  had  the  best  view  of  the  whole  range  to  the  Mer  de 
Glace,  and  points  of  interest  in  all  directions.  Charles 
Beecher  let  out  the  exuberance  of  spirits  which  was  natural  to 
all  the  big  boys  of  that  illustrious  family,  and  rolled  rocks 
down  the  precipices,  threw  poles  down  the  ice  gorges  into 
the  clear  pools  below,  and  played  with  his  nephew  in  the 
most  rollicking  and  undignified  fashion.  From  Chamouni 
they  went  to  Martigny,  and  in  the  villages  perched  upon  the 
precipices,  there  came  to  Mrs.  Stowe  the  question  which  she 
asked  of  her  guide,  why  all  the  little  children  did  not  fall 
over  the  cliffs  and  get  killed.  One  has  had  the  same  idea 
about  Venice,  and  the  lagoons  which  lay  under  each  win 
dow,  waiting  to  drown  luckless  babes. 

From  Martigny  they  ascended  the  St.  Bernard  pass  and 
found  a  hundred  people  at  the  hospice. 


UNCLE   TOM'S   CABIN.  213 

Back  to  the  Martigny,  and  the  next  day  by  carriage  to 
Lake  Leman,  where  at  Hotel  Byron  they  found  themselves 
overlooking  the  Lake,  with  Castle  Chillon  mirrored  in  the 
still  waters.  They  drove  to  Than  to  Inerlachen  and  Lau- 
terbrunnen.  Pursuing  their  journey  they  crossed  the  Wen- 
gern  Alps  and  rested  at  Grindelwald.  From  Grindelwald 
they  went  to  Meyringen  and  to  the  Eigi  Kulm. 

People  in  general  seemed  to  accept  Mrs.  Stowe  as  a 
champion  of  the  rights  of  all  creatures,  human  or  brute. 
An  incident  which  furnishes  an  amusing  instance  of  this 
feeling,  occurred  at  Chamouni.  The  party  had  taken  don 
keys  and  under  the  convoy  of  guides  had  ascended  various 
mountain  paths,  spending  several  days  in  these  to  them, 
novel  and  most  delightful,  excursions.  After  their  return, 
while  resting  one  evening  in  the  parlor  of  the  hotel,  Mrs. 
Stowe  was  accosted  by  a  stern  female,  whose  righteousness 
was  visibly  tinged  with  the  verjuice  of  envy  and  ready 
fault  finding.  Asking  if  it  were  Mrs.  Stowe  and  being  po 
litely  answered,  she  said  that  she  felt  it  her  duty  to  remon 
strate  against  the  cruelty  of  which  she  heard  she  had  been 
guilty  that  day,  and  to  ask  her,  if  she  considered  beating 
an  inoffensive  animal,  consistent  with  her  influence  as  a 
woman  who  professed  to  feel  for  the  helpless! 

Mrs.  Stowe  was  considerably  astonished,  and  replied  that 
she  professed  nothing  which  she  could  not  carry  out,  in  at 
least  her  private  actions,  and  asked  for  an  explanation.  "  I 
refer,"  said  the  stern  female,  "  to  the  abuse  of  your  donkey 
to-day,  upon  Montanvert.  I  am  told  you  whipped  the 
poor  animal  unmercifully.  I  am  surprised  at  your  glaring 
inconsistency,  Mrs.  Stowe." 

She  looked  as  if  she  were  rather  glad  of  it.     Mrs.  Stowe 


214  THE   LIFE   WORK   OF   THE   AUTHOR   OF 

dismissed  her  with  a  few  words.  Charles  Beecher  declared 
his  sister  should  have  told  the  impertinent  female,  that 
they  might  have  been  more  careful  of  the  donkey's  feelings 
had  they  expected  to  thus  encounter  another  member  of  the 
family ! 

The  truth  of  the  matter  was,  that  Charles  Beecher  found 
himself  astride  of  a  particularly  obstinate  animal,  who  inge 
niously  selected  the  most  precarious  places  in  which  to 
balk  and  kick,  much  to  the  annoyance  and  danger  of  his 
rider.  Mr.  Beecher  was  provided  only  with  a  stick,  which 
he  had  cut  from  a  bush  by  the  way,  and  although  he  soon 
broke  it  over  the  animal's  shaggy  head,  it  was  evident 
that  the  donkey  was  scarcely  aware  that  his  rider  objected 
to  his  performances,  for  it  was  only  when  the  guides  took 
hold  of  the  bit  and  belabored  him  from  behind,  that  he  con 
sented  to  break  the  several  blockades  which  he  caused  the 
train. 

Leaving  Heidelberg  with  regret  about  the  first  of  August, 
the  party  went  to  Frankfort,  putting  up  at  the  Hotel  Eus- 
sie.  Among  the  attractions  of  the  place  they  saw  of  course 
Dannecker's  Ariadne,  the  beautiful  female  riding  upon  a 
panther,  which  is  in  a  pavilion  in  a  garden.  It  is  interest 
ing  to  note  that  Mrs.  Stowe  perceived  in  this  work  a  lack 
of  religious  feeling,  which  left  it  "cold  as  Greek  mythology." 

The  house  where  Goethe  was  born,  and  the  library  where 
they  looked  for  Luther's  Bible  and  saw  instead,  only  his 
shoes,  and  the  picture  gallery,  were  objective  points  and 
thoroughly  enjoyed. 

His  sister  humorously  wrote  that  Charles  had  espoused 
himself  to  an  "Amati  "  at  Geneva  and  like  most  young  bride 
grooms  was  oblivious  to  all  else.  So  absorbed  was  he 


UNCLE  TOM'S  CABIN.  215 

drawing  from  it  sweet  melodies  of  Mozart,  and  Beethoven 
adagios,  that  when  they  found  the  picture  gallery  closed  he 
exclaimed,  "  What  a  mercy !  "  Down  the  Ehine  to  Cologne 
they  went  with  the  expected  sensations  at  Bingen,  Coblentz, 
Ebrenbreitstein,  Bonn,  Drachenfels  and  all  the  rest,  reading 
Chikle  Harold  by  the  way. 

At  Cologne,  after  feasting  in  the  sublimities  of  the  cathe 
dral,  they  went  to  St.  Ursula's  church,  where  the  various 
ghastly  relics,  of  very  doubtful  nature,  were  shown  them  by 
the  priest.  In  Mrs.  Stowe's  description  of  this  scene,  the  re 
markable  statements  of  the  exhibitor,  the  solemn  chaffing  of 
Charles  Beecher,  the  shocked  indignation  of  sister-in-law 
Sarah,  and  the  irrepressible  laughter  of  herself,  one  sees  a 
farce  very  similar  and  quite  as  amusing  and  irresistably  pro 
vocative  of  sympathetic  smiles,  as  the  well  known  skit  of 
Mark  Twain  in  "Innocents  Abroad."  ending  with,  "Is  he 
dead  ?  "  written  twenty-five  years  or  so,  later. 

They  went  from  Cologne  to  Dusseldorf  and  Leipsic,  where 
they  were  entertained  by  Tauchnitz,  the  celebrated  pub 
lisher,  who  had  an  interest  in  the  German  editions 
of  "Uncle  Tom's  Cabin."  At  Dresden,  Mrs.  Stowe 
sent  her  card  to  Jennie  Lind  Goldschmidt,  but  that 
lady,  having  a  young  babe,  was  unable  to  see  her  whom 
she  admired  and  loved  so  sincerely.  They  went  to  Ber 
lin,  to  Wittenburg;  saw  the  house  and  burial  place  of 
Luther  and  the  monument  in  the  public  square  to  him,  and 
then  on  to  Erfurt  and  Eisenach.  Mrs.  Stowe's  art  criticisms 
upon  the  Dresden  galleries  as  reproduced  in  "Sunny  Memor 
ies  of  Foreign  Lands  "  are  so  instrinsically  valuable,  just  and 
correct  that  they  should  be  considered  by  every  person  of 
taste.  In  speaking  of  the  culinary  paintings  in  which 


216  THE   LIFE  WORK  OF   THE   AUTHOR   OF 

cabbages,  brass  kettles,  onions  and  potatoes  are  reproduced 
with  remarkable  industry  and  painstaking,  she  gives  ex 
pression  to  an  idea  that  might  well  engage  the  attention  of 
certain  of  the  modern  school  of  novelists.  She  felt 
that  the  thing  so  carefully  painted  was  not  in  itself 
worthy  of  so  much  modish  art.  She  says,  "  For  my  part 
I  have  but  little  more  pleasure  in  a  turnip,  onion  or  potato 
in  a  picture  than  out,  and  always  wish  that  the  industry 
and  richness  of  color  had  been  bestowed  upon  things,  in 
themselves,  beautiful." 


CHAPTER  X. 

RETURN  TO  PARIS.  ENTERTAINED  BY  MONSIEUR  AND  MAD 
AME  DE  BELLOC.  INTERVIEW  WITH  BERANGER.  MRS. 
STOWE'S  ESTIMATE  OF  THE  FRENCH  CHARACTER.  VISIT  TO 
LADY  CARLISLE  AT  YORK.  THE  "  LEEDS  OFFERING."  A 
DEPUTATION  FROM  IRELAND  PRESENT  THE  AUTHOR  OF 
"  UNCLE  TOM'S  CABIN  "  WITH  A  BEAUTIFUL  CASKET  OF  BOG 
OAK  FILLED  WITH  SOVEREIGNS.  RETURN  HOME.  MRS. 
STOWE'S  LETTERS  COLLECTED  AND  PUBLISHED  IN  "  SUNNY 
MEMORIES  OF  FOREIGN  LANDS."  UA  PEEP  INTO  UNCLE 

TOM'S  CABIN."     A  DRAMATIZATION   OF  "  UNCLE   TOM'S 
CABIN"  CALLED  "THE  CHRISTIAN  SLAVE."     REPUBLICA- 

TION  OF  "  THE  MAY  FLOWER."  ANOTHER  ANTI-SLAVERY 
STORY.  "  DRED,"  NOT  A  SEQUEL,  BUT  A  SUPPLEMENT  TO 
"  UNCLE  TOM'S  CABIN."  ITS  AIM  TO  SHOW  THE  EFFECTS  OF 
THE  INSTITUTION  OF  SLAVERY  UPON  THE  WHITE  PEOPLE 
OF  THE  SOUTH.  ITS  SALE  ONLY  SECOND  TO  THAT  OF  HER 
GREATEST  WORK. 

By  August  20th  tbe  Stowe  party  were  back  to  Paris, 
having  made  a  brief  visit  in  Antwerp,  with  its  various 
quaint  and  charming  effects,  its  beautiful  bells,  and  churches, 
and  galleries,  where  Eubens  was  the  saint  to  which  the 
city  erected  its  shrine. 

Again  at  the  hospitable  home  of  Monsieur  and  Madame  de 
Bellock,  with  more  art,  and  more  sight  seeing,  a  little  final 
shopping,  and  thoughts  now  turning  eagerly  to  home  and 

217 


218  THE  LIFE   WOKK  OF   THE   AUTHOR   OF 

native  land  across  the  sea.  Mrs.  Stowe  met  Beranger  the 
poet,  then  an  old  man,  a  very  charming  person  full  of  be 
nevolent  kindness  and  universally  popular  with  the  respon 
sive  common  people.  Mrs.  Stowe's  representation-  of  the 
virtues,  and  admirable  qualities  of  the  French  people  is 
very  pleasant  to  -contemplate,  leaving  the  heart  warm  and 
sympathetic  with  the  kindly  conventionalism  which  per 
vades  their  social  customs  and  governs  their  manners. 

Mrs.  Stowe  was  superior  to  the  mistrust  which  Anglo-Sax 
ons  generally  evince  for  the  sincerity  of  a  nation  which 
habitually  deals  in  conversational  elegancies  and  compli 
ments.  Every  French  heart  should  love  Mrs.  Stowe  for  the 
appreciative  things  she  has  said  about  them,  and  said  with 
the  perfect  sincerity  which  is  inseparable  from  her  character. 
One  wishes  for  the  sake  of  the  French  people  known  and 
loved,  to  make  selections  from  her  estimate  of  their  life,  char 
acter  and  qualities.  It  may  be  found  among  the  last  letters 
published  in  the  volume  before  referred  to,  and  should  be  read 
by  those  who  have  no  opportunity  to  make  personal  obser 
vations  upon  the  peculiarities  -a*nd  attributes,  of  the  several 
nations  which  Mrs.  Stowe  had  studied. 

There  is,  in  her  discussion  of  these  matters,  of  men  and 
things,  of  persons  and  political  history,  to  be  seen,  one  of 
the  best  bits  of  writing  emanating  from  her  powerful  pen. 
Her  grasp  of  situations,  and  insight  into,  causation  there 
appears,  not  dependent  upon  local  experience  or  intuitive 
overwrought  feeling,  but  as  the  abstract  intellectual  force 
and  judgement,  the  mental  power,  the  perfectly  disciplined 
intelligence,  which  is  capable  of  taking  a  correct  view  of 
any  problem,  or  situation  which  is  presented  to  it. 

When  Mrs.  Stowe  was  in  Paris  she  was  repeatedly  vis- 


UNCLE    TOM'S   CABIN.  219 

ited  by  an  aged  French  gentleman,  a  Count,  who  in  youth 
had  spent  some  years  as  a  student  at  the  Law  School  in 
Litchfield  when  she  was  a  child,  and  declared  the  society 
of  the  place  was  at  that  time  "  the  most  charming  in  the 
world." 

During  her  sojourn  in  Paris  Mrs.  Stowe  received  many 
visits  from  the  members  of  the  Old  French  Abolition  So 
ciety  which  existed  there  for  many  years.  A  Catholic 
lady  wrote  to  ask  her  why  she  had  not  included  in  her 
"Key''  as  among  the  friends  of  emancipation,  the  Komish 
clergy  of  the  United  States,  as  it  had  been  the  boast  of 
their  church  in  France.  Mrs.  Stowe  was  forced  to  reply 
that  the  Roman  Catholic  clergy  had  not  identified  them 
selves  with  the  anti-slavery  cause,  but  allowed  their  in 
fluence  to  go  with  the  multitude. 

A  gentleman,  who  was  among  the  guests  of  one  evening 
earnestly  discussing  the  powers  and  capabilities  of  the  Afri 
can  race  and  referring  to  their  taste  for  music  and  the  fine 
arts,  asked  why, with  cultivation,  they  might  not  be  trained  to 
exhibit  characteristic  pantomimes  and  dances.  Whereupon 
Mrs.  Chapman,  whose  experiences  in  Boston  had  sharpened 
into  keen  dislike  of  American  inconsistency,  spoke  up 
quickly  to  the  mingled  amusement  and  chagrin  of  Mrs. 
Stowe  quoting  to  him  the  action  of  one  of  the  Old 
School  Presbyterian  churches  in  America,  which  was 
agitated  to  its  very  foundations  by  the  question  as  to 
whether  a  man  might  legally  marry  his  deceased  wife's 
sister,  yet  in  the  same  meeting  declined  to  condemn  slavery, 
which  denied  legal  marriage  to  all  slaves,  and  denounced 
dancing,  with  a  vehemence  commensurate  to  its  place  as  one 
of  the  atrocities  of  a  world  lying  in  wickedness.  The  poor 


220  THE   LIFE    WORK    OF    THE    AUTHOR   OF 

man  was  lost  in  amazement,  and  probably  never  was  able 
to  realize  how  principles  were  valued  in  this  country. 

The  party  now  homeward  bound,  crossed  from  Boulogne 
to  Folkstone  and  thence  to  York  and  Leeds,  having  been 
intercepted  by  Lady  Carlisle  and  taken  home  with  her  at 
York.  At  Leeds  they  were  received  into  the  home  of 
Mr.  Baines,  whose  father  was  an  earnest  and  progressive 
parliamentarian.  The  next  day  the  house  was  filled  with 
company  and  the  "Leeds  Offering"  was  made  by  a  deputa 
tion  of  citizens.  It  was  a  massive  and  very  elegant  silver 
basket,  piled  high  with  gold  pieces  and  bore  this  inscrip 
tion  : — 


"Pro  Rege  et.Lege." 
t 


A  telegram  was  received  from  the  Mayor  of  Liverpool 
asking  them  to  stop  at  that  city,   but  Mrs.  Stowe,  on  ac- 


UNCLE   TOM'S   CABIN.  221 

count  of  fatigue  was  obliged  to  decline.  Before  starting 
for  home  they  made  another  brief  visit  to  their  friends,  the 
Croppers  at  the  Dingle,  their  first  and  last  resting  place  on 
British  soil.  Here  there  were  letters  from  home,  some  sad 
ones,  telling  of  the  death  of  friends. 

A  deputation  from  Ireland  called  upon  the  author  of 
"Uncle  Tom's  Cabin"  there,  with  an  address,  and  a  present 
of  a  beautiful  Bog  Oak  Casket  lined  with  gold  and  carved 
with  shamrock  leaves  and  the  national  emblems,  the  harp, 
and  a  hound  attached  to  it  by  a  tiny  gold  collar  and  chain. 
This  was  filled  with  sovereigns  and  upon  the  inside  of  the 
gold  lined  cover  was  the  inscription, 


(cSvw^e 
^v 


The  mayor  of  Liverpool  and  the  Rev.  Dr.  Raffles  break 
fasted  with  the  party  on  the  morning  of  their  departure 
from  British  soil,  and  after  the  latter  had  made  an  earnest 
prayer  to  God  for  their  safe  voyage  home,  attended  them 


222  THE   LIFE   WORK   OF   THE    AUTHOR   OF 

to  the  wharf,  where  a  large  party  were  waiting  to  bid  them 
good-bye.  "And  thus  almost  sadly  as  a  child  might  leave 
its  home,"  says  Mrs.  Stowe,  "I  left  the  shores  of  kind  old 
England — the  mother  of  us  all." 

When  Mrs.  Stowe  parted  from  her  friends,  with  whom 
for  some  months  she  had  sojourned  so  pleasantly  upon  foreign 
shores,  and  returned  to  her  home  at  Andover,  to  be  wel 
comed  by  her  husband  and  children  and  take  up  again  the 
threads  of  domestic  life  and  work,  her  thoughts  very  nat 
urally  reverted  to  the  remarkable  tour,  and  in  looking 
over  the  letters  sent  home  from  many  places,  filling  in  the 
interims  with  facts  brought  to  recollection  by  notes  in  her 
own,  and  her  brother's  diaries,  the  journey  was  enjoyed  in  re 
trospect,  as  it  often  is  more  vividly  realized,  when  the  mind 
travels  over  the  scenes,  unincumbered  by  the  infirmities 
which  pertain  to  the  body. 

The  family  friends  wanted  the  story  of  the  journey  put 
into  permanent  form ;  and,  moreover,  as  the  political  situa 
tion  grew  more  violent,  and  the  tide  of  hostile  feeling  ran 
high  against  all  who  had  dared  to  lift  a  voice  against  the 
"  institution  "  of  slavery,  there  were  desperate  misrepresen 
tations,  malicious  falsehoods,  told  in  the  newspapers  and 
among  people,  concerning  the  facts  of  Mrs.  Stowe's  recep 
tion  abroad;  against  the  distinguished  and  godly  people 
who  welcomed  her;  and  in  denunciation  .of  the  speeches 
ringing  with  no  uncertain  sound,  which  were  made  by 
Professor  Stowe  on  various  occasions.  It  was  therefore 
decided  to  publish  these  facts  and  impressions  of  the  trip. 

"Sunny  Memories  of  Foreign  Lands*'  was  prefaced 
by  an  introduction  by  Professor  Stowe.  He  copied  the 
press  accounts  of  the  public  meetings  held  in  honor  of  the 


UNCLE   TOM'S  CABIN.  223 

author  of  "  Uncle  Tom's  Cabin"  in  many  cities  and  towns, 
and  threw  a  parting  hot  shot  at  "the  reckless  faithlessness  and 
impudent  falsehood  of  our  national  pro-slavery  legislation  " 
which,  goaded  to  madness  by  the  rising  indignation  of  the 
best  thought  of  the  age,  was  then  becoming  boldly  aggres 
sive,  thus  surely  preparing  the  way  to  its  own  down 
fall. 

The  book  was  issued  from  the  press  of  Phillips,  Samp 
son  and  Co.,  of  Boston,  and  appeared  simultaneously  in 
England,  under  the  sanction  of  the  author,  from  the  house 
of  Sampson  and  Low.  Mrs.  Stowe  took  this  occasion  to 
thank  publicly,  those  publishers  in  England,  France  and 
Germany,  who  had  shown  a  liberality  beyond  the  require 
ments  of  obligation.  The  royalties  which  they  voluntarily 
rendered  to  the  author  of  "Uncle  Tom's  Cabin"  and  the 
"  Key,"  which  was  also  in  great  demand,  were  debts  of 
honor,  and  received  by  her  with  appreciation.  If  there 
Jiad  been  an  international  copyright  law,  or  all  publishers 
as  honorable  as  these,  Harriet  Beech er  Stowe  would  have 
speedily  become  the  wealthiest  author  living. 

"  Sunny  Memories  of  Foreign  Lands  "  was  published  in 
the  spring  of  1854  and  had  a  large  sale.  On  account 
of  some  technicality  as  to  the  copyright,  it  has  been 
for  some  years  out  of  print  in  the  United  States.  It  is, 
however,  one  of  the  best  guide  books  which  is  extant,  to 
the  salient  thought  points,  and  the  intellectual  scenery  of 
the  journey  through  the  British  Islands  and  the  Continen 
tal  tour  described,  and  will  doubtless  be  re- issued.  Messrs. 
Sampson,  Low,  Marston,  Searle  and  Kivington,  the  London 
publishers,  have  sold  up  to  the  present  time,  nearly  forty 
thousand  copies. 


224  THE   LIFE   WORK   OF    THE    AUTHOR   OF 

Shortly  after  her  return,  in  answer  to  an  urgent  demand, 
Mrs.  Stowe  published  a  small  book  for  children,  entitled, 
"  A  Peep  into  Uncle  Tom's  Cabin."  It  was  a  simple  out 
line  of  the  story,  and  sold  freely. 

In  1855  Mrs.  Stowe  prepared  a  dramatization  of  "  Uncle 
Tom's  Cabin,"  which  was  called  "  The  Christian  Slave." 
About  this  time  Phillips,  Sampson  and  Co.,  of  Boston, 
published  a  new  and  enlarged  edition  of  "  The  Mayflower." 
The  copy  in  the  possession  of  the  present  writer  is  from  the 
twenty -fourth  edition — proof  that  it  was  eagerly  welcomed 
by  a  public  who  were  ignorant  of  its  earlier  appearance. 

Upon  the  fly-leaf  of  this  volume,  which  is  so  precious  a 
testimonial  of  the  genius  of  young  Harriet  Beecher,  is 
inscribed  in  the  infirm  hand  of  the  aged  woman  who  had 
become  so  venerated  and  loved  as  to  incite  this  work  of 
affection  now  in  hand, — "Accept  this  memorial  of  your 
friend,  H.  B.  Stowe,  Oct.  29,  1887." 

Once  more  free  to  devote  herself  to  the  education  of  her 
children,  Mrs.  Stowe  led  them  through  studies  and  reading, 
and  in  leisure  hours  busied  herself  in  preparing  a  "  Geogra 
phy  for  My  Children,"  which  was  published  and  proved 
very  useful  to  other  mothers  in  their  loving  labors  with 
their  little  ones.  Master  Charles  now  no  longer  a  baby, 
and  Georgiana,  his  sister,  but  little  older,  were  out  of  arms, 
and  though  home  cares  were  pressing  and  might  have 
crushed  a  less  vigorous  spirit,  Mrs.  Stowe  began  the  writ 
ing  of  another  anti-slavery  book.  It  embodied  some  of 
her  experience  and  ideas,  which  could  not  be  promulgated 
in  "  Uncle  Tom's  Cabin." 

It  was  called  "Dred,  or  Nina  Gordon."   Held  in  compari- 


f 


/ 


UNCLE   TOM'S  CABIN.  225 

son  with  her  first  great  book,  aflame  as  that  was  with  indig 
nation  and  deep  feeling,  "Dred"  has  been  justly  criticized 
as  lacking  in  the  strength  and  literary  power  which  so  won 
derfully  distinguish  "  Uncle  Tom's  Cabin."  "  Dred  "  is  less 
a  novel  and  more  an  argument.  It  is  less  artistic  and  more 
historical.  It  often  turns  aside  from  the  story  into  moraliz- 
ings,  and  the  disenchantments  of  explanation  and  vindica 
tion  of  the  grounds  taken.  That  she  put  her  first  accumu 
lated  force  and  best  thoughts  into  "  Uncle  Tom's  Cabin," 
there  is  no  doubt,  but  none  the  less  is  "Dred"  worth  reading 
and  thinking  over.  It  is  a  strong  supplement  to  the  first 
book,  and  fills  in  and  rounds  out,  the  reader's  idea  of  so 
ciety,  languishing  and  diseased  under  the  weight  of  slavery. 

It  effectually  shows  that  the  author  saw  no  reason  to 
retract  or  modify  her  views  as  previously  expressed.  Any 
sequel  seems  an  anti-climax,  from  not  only  being  considered 
in  comparison  with  the  first  effort,  but  because  of  a  waning 
enthusiasm,  and  a  sort  of  knowing  superiority  in  the  reader 
which  is  superinduced  by  the  possession  of  foregoing  facts 
and  causes.  So  "Dred"  will  be  viewed,  but  one  may 
base  upon  the  fact  of  its  undeniable  superiority  to  the  ma 
jority  of  American  novels,  an  idea  of  the  greatness  of  the 
work  which  dwarfs  and  throws  it  into  a  pale  light,  as  a 
lesser  luminary  before  the  sun. 

Possibly  had  Mrs.  Stovve  anticipated  the  retrospective 
verdict  of  the  literary  art  critics,  she  might  not  have  affixed 
this  after  thought  to  "  Uncle  Tom's  Cabin,"  but  having  in 
mind  only  a  noble  purpose  and  the  pressing  home  to  the 
American  people  the  question  of  their  moral  responsibility 
on  the  subject  of  slavery,  she  wrote  "Dred."  Who  shall 
say  that  it  was  an  ethical  mistake  even  though  it  lacked 


226  THE  LIFE   WORK   OF   THE   AUTHOR   OF 

the  grand  unity  and  movement  of  the  first,  and  was  inter 
rupted  in  its  artistic  progression  by  sundry  droppings  into 
argument  and  an  array  of  proofs,  which  it  was  evident  the 
author  had  not  considered  called  for,  in  her  first  book. 

The  issues  between  Liberty  and  Slavery  had  every  year 
grown  more  important,  and  the  most  momentous  crisis  of 
our  national  career  was  imminent. 

The  United  States  stood  forth  upon  a  conspicuous  stage, 
to  decide  before  the  nations  of  the  earth,  whether  political 
precedent  and  commercial  expediency  should  obtain  against 
right,  and  justice  to  a  race  of  down  trodden  people 

The  American  people  were  about  to  answer  the  question 
whether  slavery  should  be  extended  into  free  soil  and 
across  lines  which  had  hitherto  held  it  in  check. 

It  is  safe  to  say  that  Mrs  Stowe  recked  not  of  the 
literary  value  of  a  work  which  followed  "  Uncle  Tom's 
Cabin,"  upon  the  same  theme.  She  wrote  "  Dred"  as  she 
has  always  written  and  spoken,  because  she  had  something 
to  say.  It  was  a  true  heart,  speaking  to  fellow  beings  upon  a 
subject  that  thoroughly  absorbed  and  possessed  it.  This 
was  the  secret  of  Mrs.  Stowe's  great  success.  From  this 
motive  emanated  "  Pilgrims  Progress,"  and  all  the  great 
books,  ancient  and  modern,  which  hold  a  vital  tenacity  upon 
the  human  mind,  which  quite  baffles  the  critics,  but  clearly 
demonstrates  one  of  Mrs.  Stowe's  own  utterances  when  she 
said,  "  People  always  like  simplicity  and  truth,  better  than 
finish." 

The  strength  of  "  Uncle  Tom's  Cabin  "  had  been  devoted 
to  a  vivid  description  of  the  pitiable  condition  of  the  bond 
men  under  existing  institutions.  Little  more  could  be 
said  to  strengthen  that  impression.  But  there  was  another 


UNCLE    TOM'S   CABIN.  227 

side  to  the  question  which  had  been  but  faintly  touched 
upon.  In  "Dred"  Mrs.  Stowe  showed  the  reflex  effects  of 
the  system,  upon  the  aristocratic  owners.  She  did  what 
John  C.  Calhoun  declared  in  Congress,  that  the  Abolition 
ists  were  doing  everywhere.  Kidiculing  the  notion  that 
they  proposed  to  liberate  the  slaves  by  force  of  arms,  he 
said,  "  The  war  which  they  wage  against  us  is  of  a  very 
different  character,  and  far  more  effective, — it  is  waged  not 
against  our  lives,  but  against  our  characters." 

Mrs,  Stowe  demonstrated  that  a  man  cannot  hold  an 
other  in  slavery,  without  being  in  some  sense,  himself  en 
slaved. 

In  the  pictures  of  spoiled  little  Nina  Gordon,  her  de 
bauched  brother  Tom  and  her  selfish  Aunt  Nesbit,  we  see 
the  direct  results  of  the  pernicious  system,  upon  the  class 
counted  the  favored  one.  In  the  knotty  questions,  and  un 
pleasant  dilemmas  which  confronted  the  polished  and  cul 
tured  Judge  Clayton  and  his  noble  daughter,  and  in  the  crush 
ing  weight  of  comprehended  responsibility  which  sobered 
the  life  of  Edward  Clayton,  there  is  cleverly  portrayed  the 
seamy  side  of  the  upper  social  fabric,  so  often  thrown  into 
high  lights  and  artificial  colorings  by  zealous  defenders  of 
the  "institution." 

Again,  where  could  be  found  a  more  pathetic  presentation 
than  that  of  the  mental  and  physical  condition  of  the  Cripps 
family,  whose  father  was  one  of  the  worthless  individuals 
so  graphically  termed  by  the  colored  men,  "poor  white 
trash  "  ?  This  was  a  type  of  a  class  which  could  only  exist 
under  the  cloud  of  ignorance  and  moral  degradation,  made 
possible  by  a  system  which  neglected  public  schools,  and  all 
provision  for  the  good  of  the  commonwealth.  This  cloud 


228  THE   LIFE   WORK    OF   THE    AUTHOR    OF 

negro  slavery  entailed  no  less  upon  the  so-called  free  men  of 
all  grades,  than  upon  the  African  chattels. 

Upon  the  part  of  the  brave  woman  who  had  set  the  fires  of 
liberty  burning  upon  every  hill-top  of  the  North,  this  was 
a  new  warfare.  And,  though  one,  which  we  gladly  believe 
failed  to  touch  the  universal  heart,  like  a  call  for  sympathy 
with  the  oppressed,  it  may  be  supposed  to  have  appealed 
quite  as  forcibly  to  the  selfish  feelings  of  those,  who,  inured 
to  the  system,  were  not  susceptible  to  the  pathos  of  "  Uncle 
Tom's  Cabin,"  The  aristocratic  nature  of  society  at  the 
South  so  completely  segregated  people  of  certain  position 
from  any  knowledge  of  what  was  going  on  in  the  human  life 
below  them,  that  facts  pertaining  only  to  the  sufferings  of  the 
negroes,  had  no  appeal  to  them,  being  unnoticed  or  ignored 
with  as  much  ease  as  the  people  of  wealth  and  culture  of 
our  great  cities,  dismiss  all  concern  with  the  squalid  wretch 
edness  in  their  slums.  Their  own  disadvantages  made, 
therefore,  the  only  vulnerable  point  of  attack  upon  the 
aristocracy  who  held  in  a  free  country,  the  anomalous  po 
sition  of  feudal  lords.  This  Mrs.  Stowe  perceived,  and 
promptly  acted  upon. 

Opening  the  book  with  the  impression  of  the  strength 
and  depth  of  Harriet  Beecher  Stowe's  first  great  book  upon 
one's  mind,  the  description  of  the  frivolous  mistress  of 
Canema  is  almost  a  shock.  If,  however,  one  has  seen, 
through  her  bright  and  sparkling  mental  experiences  in 
"Sunny  Memories"  the  new  lightness  and  relief  from  the 
earnest,  even  stern  trend  of  her  New  England  manner  of 
thought,  one  can  better  understand  this  strain,  which  is 
new  and  almost  foreign  to  Mrs.  Stowe. 

The  story  opens,  with  Nina  Gordon  just  returning  from 


UNCLE  TOM'S  CABIN.  229 

boarding  school,  engaged  to  marry  three  men.  She  is  de 
clared  by  the  author — and  one  of  her  lovers,  Edward  Clay 
ton — to  be  pretty,  bewitching,  full  of  native  shrewdness  and 
vitality,  with  an  instinctive  preference  for  kindness  and 
justice,  which  it  must  be  confessed,  is  not  yet  quite  apparent 
to  the  reader.  She  is  engaged  in  overhauling  her  trunks, 
abstracting  therefrom  various  articles  of  millinery  and 
ornament,  which  quite  fill  her  mind,  and  she  exhibits  per 
fect  indifference  to  the  consequences  of  her  triple  be- 
trothment,  and  the  fact  that  her  financial  affairs  are  un 
pleasantly  involved.  The  business  manager  and  guardian, 
who  tries  in  vain  to  impress  the  last  fact  upon  her  mind,  is 
Harry,  the  quadroon  son  of  her  father,  Colonel  Gordon; 
her  unknown  half-brother,  whose  tinge  of  dark  blood, 
hardly  to  be  seen  in  his  countenance,  holds  him  in  bondage. 

The  trust  of  the  property,  Harry  holds  by  will  of  the  late 
Colonel  Gordon,  for  his  sister  and  mistress,  Nina,  to  the 
partial  exclusion  from  his  natural  rights,  of  Tom  Gordon,  a 
white  son,  who  had  become  so  wild  and  degraded  before 
his  father's  death,  that  he  saw  the  necessity  of  protecting 
Nina,  and  his  slave  family,  from  the  violence  and  cruelties 
of  the  expectant  heir. 

The  state  of  feeling  which  possessed  Tom  Gordon  re 
garding  his  sister,  and  the  man  Harry,  is  effectively  dis 
played  and  the  melancholy  virtue  and  acrid  religious  prin 
ciple  of  Aunt  Nesbit,  Nina's  female  relative  and  would-be 
guide,  show  how  utterly  hard  and  unlovely,  a  woman  who 
yet  supposed  herself  a  Christian,  could  be.  In  the  charac 
ter  of  Tomtit  we  have  a  masculine  Topsy,  with  new  oddi 
ties  and  a  course  of  exasperatingly  comical  conduct,  which 
would  prove  irresistible  were  we  not  in  a  position  to  say, 


230  THE   LIFE   WORK   OF   THE   AUTHOR   OF 

"  Oh,  yes,  we  have  seen  this  character  before  and  it  hardly 
compares  with  the  other,"  without  realizing  that  familiarity 
has  dulled  the  keen  edge  of  our  first  enjoyment  of  the 
small  deviltries  of  Topsy.  The  picture  of  the  home  life  of 
Harry  and  Lizette,  his  pretty  French  quadroon  wife,  another 
humming-bird,  another  gay,  unthinking  vain  creature,  who 
may  have  conduced  to  Harry's  ennui  and  mental  dyspepsia 
— for  bon-bons  are  not  good  as  a  steady  diet — is  an  ideal 
ized  view  of  a  theatrical  character,  and  though  very  pretty 
reading,  does  not  sweep  the  chords  which  thrilled  so  deeply  to 
the  more  earnest  and  sober  existence  of  George  and  Eliza. 
A  sense  of  their  misfortunes,  even  as  threatened  in  the  lust 
of  Tom  Gordon  for  Harry's  dainty,  sprightly  wife,  does  not 
reach  us,  because  it  lacks  the  reality  which  we  have  felt  in 
other  cases. 

Must  we  allow  that  this  story  seems  forced,  that  it  lacks 
the  spontaneity  and  intensity  of  "  Uncle  Tom's  Cabin,"  and 
that  our  feeling  of  loss  is  not  wholly  to  be  accounted  for 
by  the  fact  of  some  acquaintance  with  the  phase  of  life 
here  shown  ?  Were  it  not  so,  it  might  well  cause  a  blush 
that  our  sensibilities  were  so  soon  blunted.  The  conclusion 
is  again  that  this  book  was  written,  more  as  any  other 
author  might  have  written,  and  that  it  is  somewhat  dis 
appointing,  after  the  story  which  would  not  be  repressed, 
which  told  itself,  with  all  the  forceful  feeling  accumulated 
in  years. 

The  character  of  Old  Hundred,  the  deliberate  mass  of 
obstinacy  and  good  nature  who  stood  for  the  Gordon's 
coachman,  and  his  calm  tyranny  over  his  young  mistress, 
a  salient  point  in  the  subjugation  of  the  slave  owners, 
is  very  amusingly  depicted.  Neither  does  the  situation 


UNCLE   TOM'S   CABIN.  231 

lack  for  entertaining  developments  when  the  several 
affianced  lovers  of  Nina  Gordon  appear  at  the  same  time, 
to  make  a  visit  upon  their  volatile  little  betrothed.  Edward 
Clayton,  the  favored  one  among  the  three  young  men  to 
whom  Miss  Gordon  was  contemporaneously  engaged, 
appears  an  earnest,  cultured  person,  weighed  down  with  the 
responsibilities  and  burdens,  which  the  pernicious  system 
of  slavery  imposed  upon  all  masters,  while  few  were,  like 
him,  conscious  of  it.  In  the  author's  analysis  of  this  char 
acter,  we  feel  more  of  the  power  of  Mrs.  Stowe,  and  we 
like  to  believe  that  families,  like  the  one  which  consisted 
of  the  refined  and  cultivated  Judge,  Edward  Clayton  and 
his  noble  sister,  were  not  rare  in  the  South  under  the 
old  regime,  or  not  rarer  than  they  are  elsewhere  upon  the 
earth. 

The  Cripps  family,  living  in  squalor  and  poverty,  which 
is  only  relieved  by  the  faithful  ministrations  of  their  sole 
retainer,  old  Tiff,  have  little  to  do  with  the  story,  except 
to  call  forth  the  latent  kindness  and  sweet  benevolence  of 
Nina  Gordon.  But  this  group,  in  this  gathering  of  literary 
fragments,  serves  to  bring  forth  one  of  the  best  characters 
ever  depicted  by  the  author.  There  is  a  pathetic  de 
votion,  a  hound-like  fidelity  and  untiring  effort  in  old 
Tiff,  a  despairing  persistence  on  his  part  to  keep  up 
the  respectability  of  the  family  for  the  sake  of  what 
they  were  on  their  mother's  side,  and  a  patient  determi 
nation  to  see  the  best  of  all  situations,  which  makes  him 
an  African  Mark  Tapley  and  notable  among  the  wonderful 
character  portraits  drawn  by  Mrs.  Stowe.  During  the 
period  following  the  death  of  the  mother  of  this  family, 
Nina  Gordon  begins  to  get  experience  in  the  sadder  things 


232  THE   LIFE   WORK   OF   THE   AUTHOR   OF 

of  life  and  under  the  influence  of  Edward  Clayton,  who 
accompanies  her  upon  her  errands  of  mercy  and  respect  to 
the  neglected  dead,  she  finds  her  love  for  him,  which  is  to 
be  her  life's  best  influence. 

As  has  been  said,  the  key-note  to  the  second  story  written 
by  Harriet  Beecher  Stowe,  on  the  subject  of  slavery,  is  the 
effect  of  the  system  upon  the  mental  and  moral  characters 
of  the  aristocracy,  and  beyond  what  might  be  casually  con 
sidered  the  direct  reflex  influence,  and  inevitable  effect 
of  this  foul  evil  upon  the  sensibilities  of  the  privileged 
class.  When  the  hero  of  the  story  appears,  there  is  shown 
another  of  the  most  paralyzing  effects  of  the  institution. 
It  was  the  abject  fear  among  the  slave  owners,  of  an  insur 
rection,  always  present  to  the  mind,  always  menacing  them 
with  the  horrors  once  experienced  in  the  uprising  of  the 
blacks  at  Southampton,  when  Nat  Turner,  with  six  men 
ran  amuck,  going  from  plantation  to  plantation  in  Louisi 
ana,  killing  more  than  fifty  persons,  men,  women  and  chil 
dren,  in  less  than  forty-eight  hours. 

The  terrible  deeds,  the  hunting  down  of  the  offenders,  and 
the  execution  and  punishment  of  nearly  sixty  of  the  fanati 
cal  blacks,  who  believed  themselves  avengers,  were  familiar 
to  every  planter's  family,  to  every  scion  of  the  class  which 
lived  upon  the  labor  of  the  negro.  While  the  law  makers 
soon  resumed  their  old  lines  of  thought,  quickly  recover 
ing  from  the  alarm  which  this  and  several  threatened  in 
surrections  had  occasioned,  the  people  were  haunted  with  this 
fear.  This  was  an  undercurrent  of  dread,  but  nevertheless 
an  ever-present  possibility,  and  Mrs.  Stowe  made  it  a  strong 
weapon.  The  character  of  "  Dred  "  (note  the  ominous  sound 
of  the  name)  was  founded  upon  that  of  the  renegade  Turner, 


UNCLE   TOM'S  CABIN.  233 

ana  she,  in  representing  his  view  of  the  situation,  and  giving 
an  intelligent  negro's  idea  of  the  system  which  bore  so 
heavily  upon  his  race,  threw  out  a  warning  which  she 
knew  would  be  but  too  startling  to  the  people  who  had 
never  forgotten  the  panic  of  1831.  Every  reader  is  bound 
to  respect  the  rebellion  of  "  Dred,"  and  there  is  no  human 
heart  but  that  must  throb  in  sympathy  with  his  wrongs. 

Here — when  the  author  comes  to  intense  work — we  find 
the  best  writing  in  the  book.  Her  descriptions  of  the 
weird  scenery  of  the  Great  Dismal  Swamp;  the  strange, 
night  effects,  the  wild  grief  and  indignation  which  deepen 
in  the  heart  of  the  black  man,  who  is  hiding  from  the  light 
of  day,  into  a  barbaric  desire  for  retribution ;  his  stealthy 
excursions  into  the  open  country  and  night  visits  to  his 
old  haunts,  his  vehement  words  and  exhortations  and  warn 
ings  which  rise  into  awful  majesty  at  times,  his  deep  son 
orous  chanting  and  defiant,  exultant  songs  as  he  retreats  far 
away  into  the  fastnesses  of  the  swamps,  suffice  to  fill  the 
heart  with  the  awesome  fear,  which  then  shadowed  the 
hearthstones  of  the  most  supercilious  gentry  of  the  South. 

The  camp  meeting,  served  as  a  rendezvous  for  the 
various  classes  represented  by  the  families  of  the  Gordons 
and  their  friends,  the  Cripps,  the  brutal  father  and  the  woman 
who,  an  appropriate  mate  for  him,  was  to  become  a  poor 
mother  to  her  children  ;  old  Tiff  and  the  children  whom  he 
watched  over  with  tender  solicitude ;  the  principal  slaves 
who  are  introduced  to  the  reader,  and  the  clerical  leaders  of 
several  denominations  of  religious  bodies  which  were  prom 
inent  in  the  South. 

The  picturesqueness  of  the  meeting  is  undeniable  and 
the  episodes  are  suggestive  and  comprehensive.  Here  also 


234  THE   LIFE   WORK   OF    THE    AUTHOR   OF 

come  in  conversations  between  brother  ministers,  clerical 
jokes  and  grave  discussions,  the  last  of  which  embody  the 
existing  views  and  state  of  religious  opinion  which  prevail 
ed  in  the  Southern  ecclesiastical  societies  at  that  period. 

The  scene  in  the  grove  at  the  evening  session,  is  one 
of  the  most  highly  dramatic  passages,  in  all  the  author's 
writings.  Clouds  obscure  the  sky  and  flaring  torches  give  a 
fitful  light,  which  now  irradiates,  now  leaves, in  shadow,  the 
sea  of  faces  turned  toward  the  speaker's  stand.  The  tide  of 
feeling  runs  high,  and  hymns,  prayers,  and  excited  exhorta 
tions  follow  in  quick  succession — spurred  on  by  the  voice 
of  the  minister,  who  welcomes  and  applauds  every  soul 
who  declares  itself  a  convert — groans,  exclamations  and 
shouts,  come  from  all  parts  of  the  ground.  Suddenly,  a 
voice  speaking  in  clarion  tones,  rings  through  the  trees ! 
Words  of  warning  and  vengeance  in  lofty  language  burning 
with  awful  force,  full  of  savage  imagery,  eloquent  with  nat 
ural  grace,  send  terror  to  every  heart.  The  throng  is 
startled  into  stillness !  They  listen  breathlessly.  We  see  the 
superstitious  terror  of  the  people,  feel  with  them  the  awful 
portent  of  this  strange  manifestation,  almost  believe  with 
them,  that  this  is  a  supernatural  message.  It  is  no  wonder 
the  meeting  breaks  up  in  awe,  that  groups  talk  fearfully 
of  the  judgment  day,  that  slave  traders  feel  their  hair  rise 
at  recollection  of  it,  that  drivers  suffer  temporary  remorse 
over  recent  cruelties  and  try  to  justify  their  course  by  cit 
ing  the  religious  tolerance  of  an  usage,  which  makes  abuses 
inevitable  ! 

In  depicting  the  visit  of  Nina  Gordon  to  the  home  of  the 
Claytons,  the  author  very  cleverly  shows,  in  her  intro 
duction  of  a  fete  in  Nina's  honor,  planned  and  carried  out  by 


UNCLE   TOM'S  CABIN.  235 

the  slaves  of  the  plantation,  the  capabilities  of  the  African 
race  in  the  way  of  singing,  dancing,  and  spectacular  and  his 
trionic  art.  She  also  represents  in  the  school  taught  by 
Miss  Anne  Clayton  the  opportunities,  too  generally  neglect 
ed,  which  were  open  to  the  conscientious  slave  holder  or 
his  wife  or  daughters. 

In  the  account  of  the  case  in  court,  undertaken  by 
Edward  Clayton,  which  was  in  prosecution  of  a  man 
who  had  shamefully  maltreated,  even  to  shooting,  the 
slave  woman  Molly,  whom  he  had  hired  from  the  Gor 
don  family,  Mrs.  Stowe  gives  the  results  of  her  study  of 
the  legal  aspect  of  the  rights  of  a  slave,  and  a  full  digest 
of  the  laws,  which  resulted  in  the  decision  of  Judge 
Clayton  against  his  son.  It  is  unnecessary  to  say  that  this 
decision  is  not  an  imaginary  one,  but  founded  upon  a  fact 
in  the  history  of  Southern  jurisdiction.  This  decision, 
which  is  doubtless  familiar  to  many  readers,  declared  it  the 
imperative  duty  of  the  judges  to  recognize  the  full  domin 
ion  of  the  owner  over  the  slave,  and  that  this  dominion 
was  essential  to  the  value  of  slaves  as  property,  to  the 
security  of  the  master  and  the  public  tranquillity,  greatly  de 
pendent  upon  their  subordination.  The  scene  in  court,  the 
earnest  feeling  of  Edward  Clayton,  who  assumed  the  case 
upon  conscientious  grounds;  the  clear,  dispassionate  words 
of  the  Judge,  who  is  obliged  to  declare  against  his  sense 
of  justice  and  his  affection  for  his  son;  the  attitude  of 
pretty  Nina  Gordon,  who  dilates  with  indignation  at  the 
outrage  of  her  faithful  nurse,  and  pride  at  her  lover's  stand, 
the  comments  of  the  listeners  and  Edward  Clayton's  digni 
fied,  public  withdrawal  from  the  bar,  which  imposed  such 
conditions  upon  the  exponents  of  the  law,  forms  a  highly 


236  THE   LIFE   WORK   OF   THE   AUTHOR   OF 

interesting  and  instructive  chapter.  The  after  conversa 
tion  of  Judge  Clayton  and  his  son,  gives  a  fair  idea  of 
the  pros  and  cons  of  the  system  which  made  society  what 
it  was,  in  the  South. 

Then  follows  the  intense  description  of  the  coming  of 
the  dark  pestilence  which  had  been  threatened  in  that 
section.  We  see  the  horrors  of  cholera,  as  it  raged  in 
the  United  States  at  several  periods,  written  from  Mrs. 
Stowe's  observation  as  an  eye-witness,  and  a  victim  who 
narrowly  escaped  death.  She  gives  a  vivid  portrayal  of 
the  scourge  which  devastates  plantations,  sweeps  away 
whole  families,  leaving  homes  desolate,  and  culminates,  so 
far  as  the  reader's  interest  is  concerned,  in  the  death  of 
Nina  Gordon,  then  just  coming  into  the  beauty  and  devel 
oped  grace  and  goodness  of  her  womanhood.  No  one  can 
read  without  emotion  of  her  brave  devotion  to  her  people, 
her  fearless  and  spontaneous  kindness  to  the  stricken  and 
dying  on  every  hand,  and  at  last,  of  her  own  sinking  before 
the  hand  of  the  destroyer  and  passing  away,  when  the 
hopes  of  all  are  centered  in  her. 

The  death  of  Nina,  relegates  her  people  to  the  owner 
ship  of  the  wretched  Tom  Gordon,  who  begins  full  soon  to 
wreak  his  vengence  upon  his  hated  half  brother,  and  to  give 
free  rein  to  his  lust  for  Lizette,  Harry's  pretty  quadroon 
wife,  whom  Nina  had  bought,  to  rescue  from  him.  Harry 
Gordon  escapes  with  his  wife  upon  horseback  to  the  wild 
fastnesses  of  the  Dismal  Swamp,  where  Dred,  and  other 
hunted  beings  make  their  refuge,  and  old  Tiff,  with 
the  Cripps  children,  who  were  suffering  abuse  under 
the  hands  of  a  depraved  and  brutal  father,  soon  fol 
lows  them  to  their  retreat.  In  the  chapters  called  "A 


UNCLE   TOM'S  CABIN.  237 

Clerical  Conference'1  and  "The  Result,"  the  author  sets 
forth  without  passion,  the  state  of  the  "Old  School"  of 
Presbyterians  who  were  largely  slave  holders,  and  their 
differences  with  their  brethren  of  the  "  New  School  "  among 
whom  were  many  ardent  abolitionists.  A  careful  study  of 
the  facts,  here  collected  and  put  into  form,  will  clear  away 
some  of  the  mistaken  impressions,  which  have  caused  many 
good  people  to  make  sweeping  denunciations  of  the  whole 
of  that  branch  of  the  evangelical  church,  in  the  United 
States. 

Mrs.  Stowe  appears  in  this,  as  in  all  other  questions 
which  she  has  undertaken  to  discuss,  not  as  a  violent  parti 
san  but  as  a  faithful  exponent  of  the  truth.  Being  the 
woman  she  was,  she  could  not  have  done  otherwise. 

The  chapter  headed  "  Jegar  Sahadutha  "  contains  some 
terrible  scenes.  They  are  nevertheless  all  founded  upon 
facts  in  judicial  record,  of  the  most  fiend-like  cruelty,  ter 
minating  in  the  death  of  the  victim,  the  perpetrators  of  which} 
though  judiciously  examined,  escaping  death  and  often  any 
punishment  as  penalty  for  the  crime.  In  her  Appendix, — 
for  Mrs.  Stowe  had  seen  the  necessity  of  citing  her  author 
ities, — there  are  several  cases  which  prove  that  her  represen 
tation  was  not  overdrawn.  The  bright  and  very  matter-of- 
fact  conversations  of  Frank  Russell,  a  young  lawyer  friend 
of  Edward  Clayton,  now  make  a  vastly  entertaining  chap 
ter,  wherein  may  be  seen  the  average  appreciation  and  re 
spect  for  "  the  powers  that  be,"  whose  authorities  could  not 
be  denied  except  by  pointing  as  did  Edward  Clayton,  to  a 
force,  which,  by  the  pro-slavery  advocates,  seemed  entirely 
left  out  of  the  question — God. 

The   lynching   of   good   Father  Dickson,  by  rash  Tom 


238  THE  LIFE   WORK   OF  THE   AUTHOR   OF 

Gordon  and  his  desperate  followers,  affords  a  view  of  a  state 
of  society  now  hardly  possible  in  any  corner  of  our  land, 
not  even  in  the  most  remote  regions  of  the  mountainous 
mining  camps  of  the  far  west,  there  being  men  of  culture, 
men  of  right  feeling  and  justice  under  the  rough  exterior 
of  those  pioneers,  who  prevail.  A  state  which  could  only 
have  been  possible  in  the  United  States,  except  under  just 
the  system  so  graphically  described  in  this  work,  which  had 
been  defended  very  earnestly,  as  "  a  Christianizing  Insti 
tution."  !  !  ! 

The  hunting  out  of  the  slaves,  who  had  intrenched  them 
selves  in  the  swamps,  the  killing  of  Dred  and  others ;  the 
escape  of  Harry  Gordon,  his  wife,  Aunt  Milly  and  other 
negroes  to  the  north,  the  working  of  "  lynch  law,"  which 
this  time  threatened  Edward  Clayton,  who  was  only  saved 
by  the  perspicacity  of  his  friend  Frank  Russell,  who  tolled 
the  ruffians  down  to  Muggins  groggery  and  assisted  them 
to  get  drunk,  with  further  discussions  of  the  political  situa 
tion  by  the  polished  lawyers  and  influential  gentlemen  who 
visited  Judge  Clayton, — brings  the  story  to  an  end.  Does 
it  not  offer  a  strange  fabric  to  the  eye  of  the  reader  ?  This 
is  woven  of  the  threads  of  human  existence,  but  it  is  not 
the  coarse  cloth  of  the  slave  garb.  True  it  has  rough 
threads,  coarse  fiber  and  rude  excrescences,  but  it  is  unmis 
takably  woven  of  the  material  found  in  the  lives  of  the 
Southern  aristocracy.  There  are  lines  of  fine  silk,  occa 
sional  hues  which  are  rich  and  pleasant  to  look  upon,  but 
the  whole  fabric  is  rotten,  filthy  and  loathsome  to  the 
senses. 

Mrs.  Stowe  had  launched  her  broadside  at  the  "  system  " 
which  so  cruelly  oppressed  black  men.  She  now  held  up 


UNCLE   TOM'S  CABIN.  239 

to  its  advocates,  a  mirror  in  which  they  must  view  them 
selves,  as  they  had  become,  under  its  influence. 

The  unities  of  the  story  are  not  well  preserved.  The 
progress  of  the  theme  is  halting,  and  it  is  plainly  evident 
that  this  is  a  mere  framework  set  up  by  the  author  upon 
which  to  hang  her  facts  and  deductions,  concerning  the 
state  of  social  life  under  slavery.  But  there  are  constantly 
introduced  in  conversation,  dissertations  and  ideas  upon 
this  theme,  which,  while  they  doubtless  mar  the  artistic 
value  of  "  Dred  "  as  a  novel,  make  it  a  valuable  supplement 
to  "  Uncle  Tom's  Cabin."  After  reading  these  anti-sla 
very  books,  no  vulnerable  point  seems  left  untouched,  no 
argument  in  favor  of  slavery  remains  unanswered. 

Anything  emanating  from  the  pen  of  the  author  of 
"  Uncle  Tom's  Cabin  "  was  now  sure  of  a  large  sale  and 
"  Dred "  was  widely  circulated,  adding  materially  to 
the  income  of  its  hard-working  writer.  One  hundred  and 
fifty  thousand  copies  were  sold  in  the  United  States  in  a 
twelvemonth,  and  it  has  been  in  constant  demand  for  thirty- 
five  years.  On  account  of  the  numerous  changes  made  in 
the  publishing  firm  which  issued  this  book,  it  is  not 
feasible  to  estimate  how  many  editions  have  been  sold  in 
the  United  States.  The  London  publishers,  now  merged 
into  the  firm  of  Sampson,  Low,  Marston,  Searle  &  Riving- 
ton,  courteously  report  a  sale  up  to  the  present  time  of  one 
hundred  and  sixty-five  thousand  copies,  upon  which  they 
have  paid  a  handsome  royalty.  Allowing  at  the  lowest 
estimate,  an  equal  number,  for  the  United  States,  and  pro 
portionately  smaller  sales  in  France,  Germany  and  all  other 
countries  it  will  be  seen  that  "  Dred  "  has  had  a  sale,  second 
only  to  "Uncle  Tom's  Cabin." 


CHAPTER  XI. 

MRS,  STOWE'S  SECOND  TRIP  TO  EUROPE.  THE  AUTHOR  OF 
"UNCLE  TOM'S  CABIN"  IN  HER  HOME  AT  ANDOVER. 
SOME  DOGS  WHO  HAVE  APPEARED  AS  CHARACTERS,  IN 
MRS.  STOWE'S  WRITINGS.  THE  DEATH  OF  HENRY  STOWE 
AT  DARMOUTH.  THE  INFLUENCE  OF  THE  SAD  EVENT  UPON 

MRS.  STOWE'S  THEOLOGICAL  VIEWS.  JAMES  RUSSELL  LOWELL 
AND  FRANCIS  H.  UNDERWOOD  VISIT  MRS.  STOWE  AT  ANDOVER 
IN  BEHALF  OF  THE  ATLANTIC  MONTHLY.  ACCOUNT  OF 
THE  BEGINNINGS  OF  THAT  MAGAZINE.  MRS.  STOWE'S 
ATTITUDE  TOWARDS  THE  MONTHLY.  UTHE  MINISTER'S 
WOOING."  A  WONDERFUL  PIECE  OF  THEOLOGICAL  CRIT 
ICISM.  AS  WARMLY  WELCOMED  AND  BITTERLY  ASSAILED, 
AS  HER  ANTI-SLAVERY  STORY.  THE  INDIVIDUALS  WHO 
STOOD  FOR  SOME  OF  THE  PROMINENT  CHARACTERS. 

When,  in  the  spring  of  1856,  the  story  of  "  Dred  "  was 
ready  for  the  press  the  Stowes  again  began  to  plan  for  a 
trip  to  Europe.  Mrs.  Stowe  went  for  the  purpose  of  bring 
ing  it  out  in  London  and  Paris,  simultaneously  with  its  pub 
lication  in  Boston,  to  thus  secure  for  it  a  copyright  in  those 
countries.  Professor  Stowe,  accompanied  his  wife,  and 
a  party  consisting  of  Mrs.  Stowe's  sister  Mrs.  Perkins,  her 
twin  daughters  now  nearly  twenty  years  of  age,  and  her 
oldest  son,  Henry,  joined  them  in  this  journey.  When 
the  necessary  business  had  been  attended  to,  the  party  was 
broken  up  by  the  return  to  America  of  Professor  Stowe 
240 


UNCLE   TOM'S   CABIN.  241 

and  his  son,  who  was  a  student  at  Dartmouth  College. 
The  daughters  were  placed  at  Madame  Beaurieau'spenszbw, 
where  they  remained  for  the  ensuing  year,  studying  the 
French  language  and  literature,  and  going  out  under  the  chap- 
eronage  of  the  excellent  Madame.  Mrs.  Stowe  and  Mrs.  Per 
kins  then  went  to  Italy,  spending  some  time  at  Florence  and 
Rome,  enjoying  much  in  art,  and  collecting  materials  for 
the  Italian  tale  which  later  appeared. 

Mrs.  Stowe  returned  home  rested  and  strengthened.  She 
was  now  the  famous  American  woman,  and  received  at  her 
home  in  Andover,  distinguished  visitors  from  all  parts  of 
the  United  States  and  from  foreign  countries.  Those  who 
had  had  the  slightest  acquaintance  with  her  or  her  family, 
hastened  to  renew  their  friendship,  and  paid  her  many  at 
tentions,  most  of  which  were  deeply  gratifying.  Did  any 
savor  of  toadyism  or  cant,  she  still  received  them  with 
quiet  courtesy,  for  was  it  not  a  tribute  which  indi 
cated  the  growing  sympathy  of  the  world  in  the  cause 
nearest  to  her  heart  ? 

She  singularly  failed  to  realize  the  curiosity  which 
centers  about  a  celebrated  person,  and  frequently  said 
to  visitors,  in  her  simple  directness  of  manner. 

"  Certainly  I  am  glad  to  see  you.  Glad  to  know  you  have 
read  '  Uncle  Tom.'  I  don't  see  why  you  should  care  to  come 
so  far  to  see  me,  for  I  am  not  much  to  look  at,  and  my  home 
is  very  plain,  but  I  thank  you  for  your  kind  words." 

Would  it  were  possible  to  convey  an  idea  of  the  indubit 
able  sincerity  which  shone  in  the  clear  gray-blue  eyes  and 
the  homely  kindness  which  was  felt  in  the  voice  and  the 
firm  clasp  of  her  small  hand !  It  had  a  charm  so  peculiar 
and  impressive,  as  to  instantly  convert  enemies  into  friends, 


242  THE  LIFE   WOEK  OF   THE   AUTHOR   OF 

changing  indifference  or  mere  curiosity  into  an  enthusiastic 
feeling  of  loyalty  and  love. 

From  a  gentleman  distinguished  in  American  literature 
and  public  affairs,  we  receive  a  glimpse  of  the  home  at 
Andover : 

"  I  visited  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Stowe  in  Andover.  They  lived  in  a 
large,  comfortable  stone  house  and  enjoyed  the  well-earned  leisure. 
Their  circumstances  had  not  been  very  brilliant  before  the  success 
of  the  great  novel.  When  fortune  turned  Mrs.  Stowe  was  be 
sieged  on  all  hands  by  needy  people,  even  by  strangers,  and,  as 
she  was  generous,  a  large  part  of  her  income  was  given  away  in 
charity.  The  children  were  nearly  all  handsome,  and  in  every 
way  attractive.  They  were  full  of  animal  life,  too,  and  were  danc 
ing  about  with  eager  laughter  and  beaming  eyes.  I  said  something 
to  Professor  Stowe  about  their  lively  ways  and  ready  speech,  and 
he,  with  a  look  of  deep  pride,  exclaimed,  "  Yes,  Beechers,  every  one 
of  them  ! "  This  was  said  quite  naturally  as  if  there  could  be  no 
question  which  side  of  the  house  their  brilliant  qualities  came  from. 
The  self-abnegation  rather  touched  me.  I  did  not  find  it  at  all 
comic." 

There  was  furthermore  an  element  in  the  domestic  life  of 
the  Stowe  family,  which  cannot  be  unmentioned  without 
leaving  out  one  of  the  most  lovable  characteristics  of  the 
family,  and  one  which  frequently  appears  impersonated  in 
Mrs.  Stowe's  writings.  It  was  the  fondness  for  pets,  and  es 
pecially  dogs  and  cats,  in  which  the  children  were  fully  sup 
ported  by  the  scholarly  professor  of  theology  and  the  warm 
hearted  mother,  now  grown  famous  through  her  literary 
work. 

At  Cincinnati  there  had  been  a  noble  mastiff,  "  poor  old 
Carlo,"  as  they  fondly  referred  to  him,  who  had  been  the 


UNCLE   TOM'S   CABIN.  243 

devoted  slave  and  loving  protector  of  little  "  Prince  Char 
ley  "who  died.  He  was  as  big  as  a  calf,  of  a  tawny,  yellow 
color  with  great,  clear,  honest  eyes.  He  fell  in  love  with  the 
Stovve  children,  and  ran  away  from  his  less  attractive  home 
to  be  with  appreciative  friends.  He  was  particularly  fond 
of  the  Professor  and  would  pat  quietly  into  the  study,  where 
he  was  engaged  with  his  Greek  and  Latin  books,  and  wait 
for  a  word,  until  the  busy  student  was  fain  to  stop  and  give 
him  the  caress  he  asked,  when  he  would  retire,  content. 

When  Prince  Charley's  merry  voice  was  heard  no  more, 
and  his  little  feet  trotted  no  more  through,  the  halls,  Carlo's 
mournful  search  for  his  lost  little  master,  and  low  cries  over 
the  empty  baby  carriage,  were  the  most  heart-breaking  things 
in  those  days  of  grief.  Much  to  the  sorrow  of  the  family 
Carlo  was  left  at  Cincinnati  when  they  wended  their  way 
to  the  new  home  upon  the  piney  coast  of  Maine. 

Once  settled  there,  a  neighbor  having  a  litter  of  New 
foundland  puppies,  and  knowing  how  happy  any  dog  might 
be  who  found  a  welcome  in  the  home  of  the  Stowes,  pre 
sented  the  children  with  a  brisk,  funny  puppy,  whom  they 
welcomed  with  acclamation,  and  christened  Rover.  It  was 
not  a  misnomer,  for  he  became  their  constant  companion 
in  the  tramps  of  the  four  elder  ones,  by  the  seashore,  fish 
ing,  clamming,  or  sailing  ships,  hunting  flowers  and  birds 
nests  in  the  woods,  or  dashing  and  splashing  among  the  cat 
tails  and  sweet  flags  as  familiarly  as  so  many  muskrats.  In 
the  words  of  his  illustrious  mistress,  upon  whom  he  often 
dashed  with  the  most  friendly  confidence, — "  a  jollier,  live 
lier,  more  loving  creature  never  wore  dog  skin,"  and  his 
pranks  and  knowing  performances  were  often  recounted  by 
her. 


244  THE   LIFE   WORK   OF  THE   AUTHOR   OF 

When  the  Stowes  left  Brunswick  for  Andover,  Rover 
went  with  them,  and  Charley  the  Second,  the  youngest 
child,  born  a  few  months  before  Mrs.  Stowe's  immortal 
"Uncle  Tom's  Cabin"  was  commenced,  regarded  the  dog 
with  the  deepest  affection  and  respect.  The  attempts  of 
the  toddling  boy,  who  made  disastrous  attempts  to  scratch 
his  ear  with  his  foot  as  Rover  did,  and  once  came  home 
dripping  from  a  neighboring  swamp,  where  he  had  been 
lying  down  in  the  water  with  his  canine  friend,  are  tradi 
tions  which  still  cause  much  merriment  in  the  family. 

Rover  formed  a  part  of  every  domestic  scene.  At  family 
prayers  he  laid  beside  his  master,  looking  up  reflectively 
with  his  great  soft  eyes,  which  held  all  the  sweet  serions- 
ness  of  the  hour.  When  singing  or  frolicking  or  games 
were  going  on,  Rover  was  in  the  thickest  of  the  melee, 
barking  and  frisking  in  insane  glee.  At  night  he  stretched 
his  furry  length  by  the  bedside  of  his  master  and  mistress 
and  slept  with  one  ear  open  for  strange  noises. 

Later,  when  the  older  boys  were  away  at  school  and  the 
young  ladies  thinking  of  going  to  Paris  for  "finishing,"  the 
youngest  son  prevailed  upon  his  father,  who  had  declared 
no  dog  should  ever  take  Rover's  place,  to  admit  a  little, 
jolly,  low-bred  cur  to  the  house  for  his  playmate.  When 
Master  Charles'  friends  reviled  him  as  a  dog  of  no  degree, 
he  sturdily  informed  them  his  papa  said,  "he  was  a  pure 
mongrel,"  which  no  one  cared  to  dispute.  This  small  black 
individual  was  named  "  Stromion "  from  a  German  fairy 
tale,  which  the  Professor  was  fond  of  reading  in  the  family 
circle. 

Then  Henry,  who  was  in  the  Academy,  led  home  an  enor 
mous,  old  black  Newfoundland  which  had  fallen  to  his  ten- 


245 

der  mercies,  and  Eliza,  seeing  that  the  edict  against  dogs 
had  been  withdrawn,  having  cast  her  eyes  longingly  upon  a 
charming  Italian  greyhound  at  a  Boston  fancier's,  returned 
one  day  with  him  in  her  arms.  He  was  a  fairy-like  creat 
ure,  white  as  snow  with  the  exception  of  one  mouse-colored 
ear.  He  was  named  Giglio  and  fully  embodied  all  the 
beauty,  grace,  and  coquettish  action  of  a  young  prince  from 
elfland. 

Professor  Stowe  was  somewhat  indignant,  when  he  learned 
that  a  third  dog  had  been  brought  into  the  house,  but  his 
righteous  impatience  lost  force,  when,  two  mornings  after 
his  Highness'  arrival,  the  Professor  was  seen  carrying  him 
down  stairs,  petting  him  in  the  most  natural  and  approved 
small  talk. 

So  the  stone  house  at  Andover  became  a  veritable  Cunop- 
olis,  in  which  the  family  were  always  more  or  less  under 
the  paw  of  these  four-footed  tyrants,  who  often  went  beyond 
their  privileges,  and  overrun  the  house  and  its  most  staid 
visitors.  Mrs.  Stowe  related  with  many  a  smile,  how 
the  most  reverend  theological  dignitaries,  were  reduced  to 
unbending  and  even  grave  familiarities,  by  the  impudence 
of  doughty  Stromion,  who  would  seat  himself  attentively 
before  them,  and  place  a  stumpy  paw  upon  the  broadcloth- 
covered  knee,  going  so  far  as  to  bark  imperatively,  if  recog 
nition  were  delayed. 

"  Old  Prince  "  was  passionately  fond  of  music  and  would 
push  and  elbow  his  way  into  the  parlor  with  dogged  deter 
mination,  when  there  was  playing  or  singing. 

When  the  young  ladies  went  to  Paris  to  enter  Madame 
Beaurieau's  pension,  Giglio  the  beautiful,  was  smuggled  on 
board  the  Fulton,  and  during  the  very  stormy  and  cold 


246  THE   LIFE   WORK   OF   THE   AUTHOR   OF 

March  passage  he'  lay  rolled  up  in  his  blanket  like  a  sea 
sick  gentleman. 

Once  in  Paris,  Giglio,  who  was  evidently  spoiled  by  the 
attentions  he  had  received  upon  the  voyage  ran  away  leav 
ing  his  mistress  desolate.  Months  afterwards,  they  saw 
him  in  the  Champs  Elysees  tenderly  cared  for  by  a  liveried 
servant,  and  left  the  fair  inconstant  to  his  brilliant  destiny. 

When  Mrs.  Stowe  and  her  sister,  arrived  at  Florence, 
they  made  the  acquaintance  of  a  lady  who  presented  her 
with  a  beautiful  King  Charles  spaniel,  of  the  special  breed 
called  "  Demidoffs,"  as  they  were  raised  at  the  kennels  of  a 
Eussian  prince  of  that  name,  who  had  a  villa  in  the  sub 
urbs.  She  was  a  pretty,  beseeching  little  pet,  looking  as  if 
she  had  just  jumped  out  of  some  of  the  splendid  old  Ital 
ian  pictures  and  was  of  the  rare  type  which  Euskin  calls 
"fringy  paws."  She  was  christened  Florence  after  her  na 
tive  city.  She  was  taken  to  Eome,  went  with  the  party  to 
.visit  ruins  and  palaces,  and  rode  out  of  town  to  the  Cam- 
pagna  and  the  Pamfilia  Doria.  One  day  going  to  St.  Peter's, 
Florence  jumped  out  of  the  carriage  and  wandered  for  some 
hours  about  the  strange  streets,  but  at  last  found  her  way  to 
the  lodgings  of  her  overjoyed  mistresses  who  had  mourned 
her  as  lost.  She  even  ascended  Vesuvius  and  was  nearly 
choked  in  the  sulphurous  fumes,  but  soon  recovered  her 
spirits,  and  day  after  day  barked  her  greeting  to  the  blue- 
coated,  red-legged  soldiers,  and  once  "yapped"  impudently 
in  the  very  face  of  His  Holiness,  the  Pope,  who  walked 
near  the  carriage.  He  smiled  and  put  out  his  hand  in  sign 
of  blessing  and  so  the  little  dog  brought  a  benediction  on 
them  all. 

Florence  came  through  France  where  dogs  were  interdicted 


UNCLE   TOM'S   CABIN.  247 

on  the  railways,  and  more  than  once  made  her  presence 
known  by  whines  and  complaining  barks,  but  the  officials, 
recognizing  her  mistress,  feigned  neither  to  see  nor  hear,  and 
she  came  unmolested  to  Paris. 

When  Mrs.  Stowe  returned  to  England,  while  visiting 
in  Kent  she  was  presented  with  another  pet,  a  skye  terrier 
of  the  most  disheveled  and  devoted  kind,  but  withal  a  fran 
tic  ratter,  who  often  roused  the  house  in  his  excited  hunt 
after  predatory  rodents.  After  the  return  to  Andover, 
Florence  had  two  puppies  who  were  named  Beethoven  and 
Milton,  but  whether  from  the  weight  of  their  titular  re 
sponsibility  or  too  much  petting,  they  died  young.  Wix, 
the  Scotch  terrier  who  suffered  bravely  and  persistently  in 
battle  with  Miss  Jenny's  great  cat,  and  was  so  mischievous, 
and  lacking  in  moral  responsibility  that  he  had  to  be  sent 
to  Boston  when  the  family  removed  to  Hartford,  ends  the 
catalogue  of  canine  pets  as  described  by  herself,  until  Mrs. 
Stowe's  later  residence  in  that  city,  when  in  time,  came  new 
pets  with  which  the  writer  had  a  personal  acquaintance 
and  warm  friendship.  They  may  be  introduced,  for  surely 
to  the  sympathetic  reader,  in  every  affectionate  family, 

"The  cat  will  mew  and  dog  will  have  his  day.'7 

In  the  autumn  after  Mrs.  Stowe  had  returned  home 
from  her  second  European  trip,  occurred  one  of  the  great 
sorrows  of  her  life.  It  was  the  accidental  death  of  her  son 
Henry,  just  coming  into  noble  manhood  and  full  of  prom 
ise  of  an  honorable  future  in  this  life.  The  young  ladies 
being  in  Paris  and  this  son  at  college,  Mrs  Stowe  had  felt 
her  burdens  somewhat  lightened  and  found  time  for  rest 
and  recreation.  She  was  at  this  time  visiting  her  brother 


248  THE   LIFE   WORK   OF   THE   AUTHOR   OF 

Henry  "Ward  Beecher  in  Brooklyn.  Professor  Stowe  was 
at  home  with  his  youngest  daughter,  when  Professor  Park, 
of  the  Theological  Seminary,  to  whom  the  sad  intelligence 
had  been  sent,  came  to  tell  him  of  the  drowning  of  his  son. 

Henry  Stowe  had  been  bathing  with  a  party  of  students 
and  although  a  good  swimmer,  had  been  seized  with  cramps 
and  drowned  before  aid  could  be  given  him.  The  story 
which  good  people  are  fond  of  repeating,  to  the  effect  that 
Professor  Stowe  met  Dr.  Park  upon  the  threshold  saying, 
"  Brother  Park,  you  need  not  tell  me,  my  son  Henry  is 
dead,  I  saw  him  drowning,'7  is  not  verified  by  the  facts. 
It  would  most  interestingly  accord  with  a  so-called  clair 
voyant  faculty  which  Professor  Stowe  possessed,  but 
Dr.  Park  states  that  no  such  conversation  occurred.  Pro 
fessor  Stowe.  was  totally  unprepared  for  the  sad  announce 
ment.  How  Mrs.  Stowe  received  the  crushing  announce 
ment  and  came  home  to  weep  over  the  body  of  her  dead 
boy  it  is  not  the  purpose  of  this  history  to  describe, 
though  it  was  an  event  which  saddened  her  life  and  gave 
rise  to  new  and  wondering  thoughts,  upon  the  ordering  of 
the  universe  and  the  baffling  incongruities  of  human  ex 
istence. 

Having  written  three  anti -slavery  books,  Mrs.  Stowe 
had  the  comforting  consciousness  that  while  she  worked 
•or  rested,  whether  she  was  sleeping  or  waking,  holding  the 
subject  in  mind  or  releasing  herself  temporarily  from  its 
thrall,  they  were  speaking  for  her,  the  world  around — speak 
ing  movingly  and  with  convincing  argument  to  millions  of 
•eager  readers.  Mrs.  Stowe  lived  on  quietly  her  home  life 
at  Andover.  She  put  forth  at  this  time  a  small  volume 
•entitled  "  Our  Charlie,"  which,  in  treating  of  the  methods 


UNCLE   TOM'S  CABIN.  249 

employed  in  the  education  of  her  own  youngest  born,  ex 
tended  a  helping  hand  to  all  mothers  of  irrepressible  youths 
of  six  or  seven  years.  But  with  her  daily  routine  of  house 
keeping,  sewing  teaching  and  writing,  went  always  the 
thought  of  her  dead  boy,  and  her  eyes  were  often  blinded 
with  sorrow,  though  she  strove  with  all  the  strength  of  her 
great  nature  to  be  reconciled  to  his  untimely  taking  off. 

Her  thoughts  were  turned  in  upon  herself,  upon  the  painful 
mysteries  of.  this  life  and  the  future  existence,  with  many 
questionings  of  her  theological  beliefs  which  this  heart 
rending  event,  was  putting  to  a  severe  test.  To  her  anguish 
of  rnind,  endured  under  the  fear  that  this  son  was  "  unregen- 
erate  "  at  the  time  of  his  death,  and  her  intense  rebellion  of 
feeling  against  the  awful  idea  of  his  condemnation  through 
all  eternity  on  that  account,  has  been  attributed  Mrs.  Stowe's 
repudiation  of  the  sterner  theological  beliefs  of  her  early 
life  and  her  acceptance  of  the  more  comforting  ideas  of  Di 
vine  Mercy.  Her  own  description  of  the  experience  of  a 
similar  afflicted  mother  will  be  seen  in  the  character  of 
Mrs.  Marvyn  in  a  story  written  soon  after.  It  was  a  work 
which  was  destined  to  add  materially  to  her  great  fame,  and 
arouse  nearly  as  much  discussion  in  American  homes  as 
had  her  first  work.  It  was  "  The  Minister's  Wooing,"  the 
second  of  her  three  great  books. 

"  Uncle  Tom's  Cabin  "  had  been  the  irrepressible  out 
burst  of  highly  charged  feeling  and  genius.  "  The  Minis 
ter's  Wooing "  was  a  literary  achievement  of  the  highest 
order.  It  was  an  intellectual  effort,  with  a  maturer  purity 
of  style,  and  all  the  ideal  strength  and  logic  of  her  first  great 
work.  It  was  replete  with  delicate  discrimination  and 
judicial  calmness,  luminous  with  deep  feeling,  bright- 


250  THE  LIFE   WORK  OF   THE   AUTHOR   OF 

ened  with,  humorous  perceptions,  all  of  which  overlaid  a 
phenomenal  grasp  of  the  theological  aspects  of  old  New 
England  thought.  It  was  so  admirably  constructed  and 
unified,  that  where  the  reading  world  had  before  wept  and 
raged,  carried  out  of  themselves  upon  the  strong  current  of 
her  emotional  thought,  they  now  marvelled,  and  admired  this 
new  evidence  of  the  author's  intellectual  possibilities.  It 
was  founded  upon  early  New  England  life  and,  as  inseparable 
from  it,  dealt  most  powerfully  with  the  severities  of  the  old 
theology,  as  held  by  the  Calvinistic  church  of  that  period. 

Not  wishing  to  discuss  anything  more  stern  and  painful, 
Mrs.Stowe  represented  the  Hopkins  school,  which  was  only 
one  of  the  multiform  phases  of  New  England  theology 
during  the  eigtheenth  century.  The  Rev.  Samuel  Hopkins 
of  Newport  whom  she  took  for  her  hero,  was  not  only  a 
pupil  of  the  elder  Edwards,  with  whom  he  resided  as  a  stu- 
den  of  theology — but  also  his  literary  executor  and  biog 
rapher. 

Mrs.  Stowe's  work  which  aside  from  the  charm  of  its  de 
lineations  is  a  subtle  and  masterly  criticism  of  the  New 
England  theology,  was  one  of  the  first  results  inevitable 
upon  the  extreme  doctrines  of  these  great  divines.  At  a 
later  date  Mrs.  Stowe  said  of  Jonathan  Edwards. 

"He  sawed  the  great  dam  and  let  out  the  waters  of  discussion 
all  over  New  England  and  that  free  discussion  led  to  all  the  shades 
of  opinion  of  our  later  days.  Little  as  he  thought  it,  yet  Waldo 
Emerson  and  Theodore  Parker  were  the  last  results  of  the  current 
set  in  motion  by  Jonathan  Edwards." 

It  was  at  the  stern  cruelty  of  the  exaggerated  form  of 
New  England  theology,  as  it  was  known  in  many  of  the 
utterly  atrocious  and  revolting  ideas  of  the  past  age,  that 


UNCLE   TOM'S   CABIN.  251 

she  shuddered,  and  was  moved  to  delineate  for  posterity  this 
picture  which,  is  now  generally  admitted  to  be  marvellously 
true  to  the  mental  and  moral  condition  of  the  time.  In  a  let 
ter  written  from  England  during  her  first  memorable  visit, 
Mrs.  Stowe  speaks  of  the  preaching  of  the  Kev.  Dr.  Mc- 
Neile  of  Liverpool,  one  of  the  leading  men  of  the  establish 
ed  church,  and  a  strong  millenarian. 

"  It  was  a  sermon  after  the  style  of  Tholock  and  other  German 
sermonizers,  who  seem  to  hold  that  the  pnrpose  of  preaching  is 
not  to  rouse  the  soul  by  an  antagonistic  struggle  with  sin 
through  the  reason,  but  to  soothe  the  passions,  quiet  the  will  and 
bring  the  mind  into  a  frame  in  which  it  shall  incline  to  follow  its 
own  convictions  of  duty.  They  take  it  for  gran  ted  that  the  reason 
why  men  sin  is  not  because  they  are  ignorant  but  because  they 
are  distracted  and  tempted  by  passion ;  that  they  do  not  need  so 
much  to  be  told  what  is  their  duty,  as  persuaded  to  do  it.  To  me, 
brought  up  on  the  very  battle  field  of  controversial  theology,  ac 
customed  to  hear  every  religious  idea  guarded  by  definitions  and 
thoroughly  hammered  on  a  logical  anvil,  before  the  preacher 
thought  of  making  use  of  it  for  heart  or  conscious,  though  I  en 
joyed  the  discourse  extremely,  I  could  not  help  wondering  what 
an  American  theological  professor  would  make  of  such  a  sermon. 
To  preach  on  faith,  hope  and  charity  all  in  one  discourse  !  Why, 
we  should  have  six  sermons  on  the  nature  of  faith,  to  begin  with  ; 
on  speculative  faith  ;  practical  faith  and  the  faith  of  miracles ; 
then  we  should  have  the  laws  of  faith,  and  the  connection  of  faith 
with  evidence,  and  the  nature  of  evidence,  and  the  different  kinds 
of  evidence  and  so  on.  For  my  part,  I  have  had  a  suspicion  since 
I  have  been  here,  that  a  touch  of  this  kind  of  thing  might  im 
prove  English  preaching ;  as,  also,  I  do  think  that  sermons  of  the 
kind  I  have  described  would  be  useful  by  way  of  alterative  among 
us.  If  I  could  have  but  one  of  the  two  manners,  I  should  prefer 


252  THE  LIFE  WORK  OF   THE  AUTHOR  OF 

our  own,  because  I  think  that  this  habit  of  preaching  is  one  of 
the  strongest  educational  forces  that  form  the  mind  of  our 
country." 

It  will  be  observed  that  Mrs.  Stowe  had  a  high  respect 
for  the  intellectual  discipline  which  was  found  in  the  theo 
logical  methods  with  which  she  was  most  familiar,  but  as 
will  be  seen,  pure  logic  was  found  sadly  wanting  in  seasons 
of  affliction  when  feeling  rose  higher  than  thought,  and 
would  not  be  curbed  by  formulas  or  creeds. 

"  The  Minister's  Wooing  "  began  as  a  serial  in  the  Atlantic 
Monthly  at  the  end  of  the  first  year  of  its  brilliant  exist 
ence,  under  the  editorship  of  James  Russell  Lowell.  The 
story  began  in  the  December  number  of  1858  and  ran  quite 
through  the  following  year,  being  contemporary  with  Oliver 
Wendell  Holmes'  second  series  of  essays.  "  At  the  Break 
fast  Table,  "  under  the  character  of  "The  Professor." 

It  is  probable  that  few  of  the  literary  critics  who  had  ac 
knowledged  her  power  as  a  writer  upon  the  great  subject 
which  found  marvellous  expression  in  "  Uncle  Tom's 
Cabin,"  were  prepared  for  so  strong  a  literary  work  as 
"The  Minister's  Wooing."  It  made  one  of  the  striking 
successes  of  the  young  "Atlantic  Monthly,"  largely  increas 
ing  the  subscription  of  that  magazine,  helping  to  bear  it 
upward  in  its  creditable  career. 

Just  here,  it  may  be  said  that  Mrs.  Stowe's  first 
great  work  had  been  one  of  the  direct  causes  of  the 
establishment  of  this  magazine.  Francis  H.  Underwood, 
LL.  D.,  now  the  United  States  Consul  to  Glasgow,  who 
was  the  projector,  and  for  some  years  managing  editor  of 
the  "Atlantic,"  was  an  earnest  Abolitionist.  He  was  then 
a  young  writer,  but  has  since  become  known  to  the  best 


UNCLE   TOM'S  CABIN.  253 

literary  circles,  as  the  accomplished  biographer  of  James 
Kussell  Lowell,  of  John  Greenleaf  Whit  tier,  of  H.  W. 
Longfellow,  and  the  author  of  various  text  books  of  high 
value. 

"  Harper's  "  and  "  Putnam's "  were  the  chief  month 
lies  in  existence  at  that  time  but  neither  of  them 
ventured  to  discuss  themes  of  living  interest.  Pub 
lishers  and  editors  were  nervously  susceptible  to  any 
article  that  might  offend  slaveholders,  and  their  north 
ern  apologists  and  allies.  Mr.  Underwood  saw,  how 
ever,  that  the  leading  authors  of  the  north  were  nearly  all 
on  the  side  of  freedom.  Mrs.  Stowe's  "  Uncle  Tom's  Cabin  " 
was  meeting  the  most  unparalleled  success,  and  he  believed 
that  if  poets  like  Longfellow  and  Whittier,  essayists  like 
Holmes,  wits  with  a  purpose  like  Lowell,  and  novelists  like 
Mrs.  Stowe,  were  to  unite  their  force,  a  profound  impression 
might  be  made.  Mr.  John  P.  Jewett,  the  publisher  who 
was  making  a  fortune  out  of  "Uncle  Tom's  Cabin,"  agreed 
to  publish  such  a  magazine,  but  at  the  last  moment  he  fal 
tered,  and  Phillips,  Sampson  &  Co.,  after  three  years  of 
persuasion,  promised  to  undertake  it.  They  had  already 
succeeded  in  securing  the  publication  of  "  Uncle  Tom's 
Cabin,"  "  Sunny  Memories  "  and  "  Dred,"  and  were  carry 
ing  also  Emerson's  and  Prescott's  works.  When  the  plan 
was  taking  form  in  1857,  Mr.  Underwood  and  Mr.  Lowell 
went  out  to  Andover  and  spent  a  day  with  Professor  and 
Mrs.  Stowe,  and  her  promise  to  be  an  early  contributor  was 
secured.  Mrs.  Stowe  wrote  a  short  story  called  "The 
Mourning  Veil,"  for  the  first  number  of  the  Atlantic,  but  it 
attracted  little  attention,  being  like  all  the  other  articles, 
unsigned,  and,  while  containing  good  writing,  inculcated 


254  THE  LIFE  WOKK   OF   THE   AUTHOR   OF 

the  lesson  of  profit  in  bereavements,  in  the  somewhat  lack- 
idaisical  vein  of  Washington  Irving's  earlier,  sentimental 
tales.  In  February  1858,  Mrs.  Stowe  contributed  a  sketch 
of  "  New  England  Ministers,"  which  was  a  spicy  and  en 
tertaining  article,  containing  analysis  of  character  and  rem 
iniscences  of  noted  divines  such  as  the  daughter  of  Lyman 
Beecher  was  well  qualified  to  write. 

Correspondence  with  Francis  H.  Underwood  has  elicited 
a  letter  in  which  he  writes: 

I  entered  the  employment  of  Messrs.  Phillips,  Sampson  &  Co. 
with  the  hope  of  persuading  them  to  establish  a  magazine  of  high 
literary  excellence  with  anti-slavery  principles.  I  had  come  to 
Boston  with  that  idea  in  my  head.  It  took  a  number  of  years  of 
effort  to  bring  together  the  forces.  The  larger  part  of  my  early 
correspondence  is  upon  that  subject.  Mrs.  Stowe  was  one  of  the 
strong  friends  of  the  project,  and  never  let  an  opportunity  pass  of 
impressing  her  views  upon  Mr.  Phillips.  The  project  was  also 
favored  by  Mr.  Lee,  one  of  the  partners. 

After  long  preparations  the  magazine  was  started,  and  its  name, 
"  The  Atlantic  Monthly,"  was  suggested  by  Dr.  Holmes.  It  is 
not  necessary  to  add  any  details  of  the  beginning ;  but  I  wish  to 
say  that  without  the  aid  of  Mrs.  Stowe  I  doubt  if  it  would  have 
been  published. 

It  was  hoped  that  Mrs.  Stowe  would  write  a  serial  novel  for  it. 
The  earliest  fiction  we  were  able  to  secure  was  not  remarkable ; 
but  The  Autocrat  saved  the  venture  and  made  it  a  brilliant  suc 
cess. 

"  The  Minister's  Wooing "  occasioned  wide  discussions 
and  many  heart  burnings,  which  indeed  revive  at  the  pres 
ent  day  whenever  its  subject  matter  is  mentioned  to  some 
devoted  theologians  of  the  "  old  school."  Eev.  E.  P.  Parker, 
D.  D.,  of  Hartford,  writes  of  it  in  a  sketch  of  the  author, 


UNCLE   TOM'S  CABIN.  255 

as  a  "wonderful  piece  of  theological  criticism."  He 
proceeds  to  say:  "As  such  it  was  no  less  warmly  wel 
comed  than  bitterly  assailed.  But  whatever  may  be 
thought  of  its  soundness  and  merit,  there  can  be  no  doubt 
of  its  great  influence.  Few  books  that  have  been  pub 
lished  within  the  last  twenty  years  have  done  more  to  con 
firm  the  popular  suspicion  that  the  most  perfectly  com 
pacted  dogmatic  systems  of  theology,  are  of  f all  things  the 
most  imperfect,  inadequate  and  unsatisfactory,  and  to 
strengthen  what  may  be  called  the  liberal,  evangelical 
party  of  New  England." 

It  was  the  first  of  the  religious  novels,  those  lay  sermons 
which  have  come  to  be  a  prodigious  power  in  intellectual 
progress,  and  by  no  means  the  least  important  among  the 
influences  which  have  followed  to  lead  modern  thought 
'  away  from  traditionalism  towards  the  scriptures,  away 
from  a  scholastic  towards  a  vital  theology.'7 

In  these  works,  which  are  sometimes  condemned,  Dr.Ly- 
man  Abbott,  with  a  genial  optimism,  which  in  itself  is  a 
cheering  testimony  to  the  generous  attributes  possible  to  the 
rest  of  the  human  race,  sees  a  spirit  of  original  investiga 
tion  which  is  not  skepticism,  but  a  new  and  vital  interest 
in  religion  ;  not  merely  a  revolt  against  dogmatism  either, 
but,  if  he  is  correctly  understood,  a  defence  of  the  holy  cer 
titudes  of  life,  which  were  in  danger  of  being  unrealized, 
so  encumbered  as  they  have  been  by  human  creeds  and 
doctrines.  Dr.  Oliver  Wendell  Holmes  recently  wrote 
in  an  open  letter,  "  There  was  a  time  in  which  I,  among 
the  rest,  felt  bound  to  protest  in  the  name  of  humanity  and  of 
common  sense  against  certain  doctrines  I  had  heard  preached 
in  my  tender  years.  I  had  to  suffer  for  it.  In  fact  I  had 


256  THE   LIFE   WORK   OF   THE    AUTHOR    OF 

to  undergo  martyrdom  in  newspaper  paragraphs.  What  a 
change  in  religious  sentiment  and  temper  since  30  years 
ago.  If  one  who  has  thought  out  for  himself  a  creed  differ 
ing  from  that  of  his  father  had  thought  it  necessary  in 
those  days  to  defend  himself,  he  might  have  suggested  that 
a  child  commonly  has  a  mother  as  well  as  a  father,  and  that 
the  harshest  doctrines  passed  through  the  moral  constitu 
tion  of  a  woman,  and  especially  of  a  mother,  come  out  as 
"different  from  what  they  were  when  they  went  in  as  the 
vaccine  vesicle  is  from  confluent  smallpox.  Remember  the 
part  which  women  like  Mrs.  Stowe  and  Miss  Phelps,  and 
Mrs.  Ward  and  Mrs.  Deland,  have  taken  in  the  work  of 
startling  the  heathenized  churches  out  of  their  hideous 
dreams," 

Mrs.  Stowe  did  not  essay  to  pierce  the  boundaries  of  Hea 
ven  or  to  form  a  new  theology.  She  contented  herself  with 
illustrating  the  influence  of  the  Calvariistic  creed  upon  dif 
ferent  human  minds.  She  did  not  ignore  the  mental  keen 
ness  and  moral  strength  attained  by  natures  which  survived 
the  intense  friction  of  those  beliefs,  but  she  most  tenderly 
and  sympathetically  portrayed  the  effect  of  certain  logical 
conclusions  upon  more  impressionable  hearts.  The  spon 
taneous  answer  of  the  reading  public,  demonstrated  how 
full  of  power  was  her  delineation. 

The  scene  is  laid  in  Newport,  in  the  latter  half  of  the 
18th  century,  when  the  small  seaport  was  all  unconscious 
of  its  present  fame  as  a  fashionable  resort.  "  The  Widow 
Scudder,"  who  was  in  the  first  sentence  introduced  to  the 
reader,  is  a  type  of  one  of  those  efficient  women  to  whom 
nothing,  in  the  way  of  womanly  achievements  is  impossi 
ble,  one  who  by  force  of  her  own  "  faculty,"  which  the 


UNCLE    TOM'S   CABIN.  257 

author  defines  as  "  Yankee  for  savoir  faire,  and  the  oppo 
site  virtue  to  shiftlessness/'  reigned  supreme  in  every  circle 
she  entered,  quick  of  speech,  ready  of  wit,  comely  in  per 
son,  finely  bred,  and  with  the  first  glance  demonstrating 
her  right  to  be.  She  has  from  a  girl  been  able  to  harness 
or  ride  any  horse  she  required,  to  row  a  boat,  to  do  fine  em 
broidery,  paint  in  water  colors,  wash,  bake,  brew,  make 
wine  and  jelly  that  always  was  sure  to  "jell,"  and  at  the 
opening  of  the  story,  appears  as  the  widow  of  a  young 
Christian  sea  captain,  who,  from  discouragement  at  want 
of  worldly  success,  and  lack  of  power  to  cope  with  the  ad 
versities  of  life,  succumbed  to  yellow  fever  in  a  southern 
port,  leaving  his  ship  to  come  home  without  him._0f 
George  Scudder  and  his  wife,  the  author  writes : 

"  He  had  been  one  of  the  first  to  attach  himself  to  the  unpopu 
lar  and  unworldly  ministry  of  the  celebrated  Dr.  Hopkins,  and  to 
appreciate  the  sublime  ideality  and  unselfishness  of  those  teach 
ings  which  then  were  awakening  new  sensations  in  the  theological 
mind  of  New  England.  Katy  Scudder,  too,  had  become  "a  pro 
fessor  "  with  her  husband  in  the  same  church,  and  his  death 
deepened  her  religious  impressions.  She  became  absorbed  in  re 
ligion  after  the  fashion  of  New  England,  where  devotion  is  doc 
trinal,  not  ritual.  As  she  grew  older  her  energy  of  character, 
her  vigor  and  good  judgment,  caused  her  to  be  regarded  as  a 
mother  in  Israel ;  the  minister  boarded  at  her  house,  and  it  was 
she  who  was  first  to  be  consulted  on  all  matters  relating  to  the 
well  being  of  the  church.  No  woman  could  more  manfully  breast 
a  long  sermon  or  bring  a  more  determined  faith  to  the  reception 
of  a  difficult  doctrine."  Then  follows  this  delicious  touch  so 
characteristic  of  the  gentle  philosophy  of  the  author : 

"To  say  the  truth,  there  lay  at  the  bottom   of  her  doctrinal 

17 


258  THE   LIFE   WORK   OF   THE    AUTHOR    OF 

system  this  stable  corner-stone — '  Mr.  Scudder  used  to  believe  it 
— I  will.'  And  after  all  that  is  said  about  independent  thought, 
isn't  the  fact,  that  a  just  and  good  soul  has  thus  or  thus  believed, 
a  more  respectable  argument  than  many  that  are  often  adduced  ? 
If  it  be  not,  more's  the  pity, — since  two-thirds  of  the  faith  in  the 
world  is  built  on  no  better  foundation." 

The  event  which  was  known  as  Mrs.  Scudder's  "  having 
company  to  tea,"  is  inimitably  described  and  the  view  which 
is  soon  presented,  of  the  state  of  society  when  "the  majori 
ty  of  the  people  lived  with  the  wholesome,  thrifty  simplici 
ty  of  the  olden  time,  when  labor  and  intelligence  went  hand 
in  hand  in  perhaps  a  greater  harmony  than  the  world  has 
ever  seen,"  hold  a  marvelous  fidelity  to  truth,  in  its  com 
prehension  of  the  moving  springs  of  thought  and  conduct, 
affecting  New  England  social  life.  To  this  is  superadded 
the  bright  picture  of  beautiful  Mary  Scudder,  the  heroine 
of  the  story,  the  only  daughter  of  "Widow  Scudder,"  which 
shows  the  hand  of  a  master,  and  at  once  commanded  a 
hearing  with  all  the  great  clientele,  who  had  been  brought 
by  her  first  work,  to  respect  the  words  of  Harriet  Beech er 
Stowe.  It  is  a  precious  thing  that  so  vivid  and  enduring  a 
picture  of  a  New  England  maiden  of  the  highest  type  has 
thus  been  preserved  for  posterity  which  already  begins  to 
speak  slightingly  of  the  woman  of  that  period,  sometimes 
from  the  standpoint  of  masculine  detraction  of  their  intel 
lectual  force,  and  again  from  the  ground  of  the  advanced 
woman  of  to-day,  who  is  inclined  to  disparage  the  conven 
tional  boundaries  within  which  the  maidens  of  that  period 
are  supposed  to  have  been  cramped.  Take  this  summing 
up  of  Mary's  accomplishments  : 


UNCLE  TOM'S  CABIN.  259 

"She  could  both  read  and  write  fluently  in  her  mother  tongue. 
She  could  spin  both  on  the  little  and  the  great  wheel ;  and  there 
were  numberless  towels,  napkins,  sheets,  and  pillow  cases  In  the 
household  store  that  could  attest  the  skill  of  her  pretty  fingers. 
She  had  worked  several  samplers  of  such  rare  merit  that  they 
hung  framed  in  different  rooms  of  the  house,  exhibiting  every 
variety  and  style  of  possible  letter  in  the  best  marking  stitch.  She 
was  skillful  in  all  sewing  and  embroidery,  in  all  shaping  and  cut 
ting,  with  a  quiet  and  deft  handiness  that  constantly  surprised  her 
energetic  mother,  who  could  not  conceive  that  so  much  could  be 
done  with  so  little  noise.  In  fact  in  all  household  lore  she  was  a  ver 
itable  good  fairy  ;  her  knowledge  seemed  unerring  and  intuitive; 
and  whether  she  washed  or  ironed,  or  moulded  biscuits  or  con 
served  plums,  her  gentle  beauty  seemed  to  turn  to  poetry  all  the 
prose  of  her  life." 

It  was  a  refreshing  and  salutary  picture  for  the  young 
woman  of  thirty  years  of  ago,  it  is  no  less  an  interesting 
and  suggestive  portrait  to  the  "  society  girls  "  of  to-day. 
See  this  exposition  of  her  religious  faith  and  feeling. 

"  From  her  father  she  had  inherited  a  deep  and  thoughtful  na 
ture,  predisposed  to  moral  and  religious  exaltation.  Had  she 
been  born  in  Italy,  under  the  dissolving  influences  of  that  sunny, 
dreamy,  clime,  beneath  the  shadow  of  cathedrals,  where  pictured 
saints  and  angels  smiled  from  every  altar,  she  might,  like  fair 
Catherine  of  Sienna}  have  seen  beatific  visions  in  the  sunset  skies, 
and  a  silver  dove  descending  upon  her  as  she  prayed ;  but,  un 
folding  in  the  clear,  keen  cold  New  England  clime,  and  nurtured 
in  its  abstract  and  positive  theologies  her  religious  faculties  took 
other  forms  instead  of  lying  entranced  in  mysterious  raptures  at 
the  foot  of  altars,  she  read  and  pondered  treatises  on  the  Will,  and 
listened  in  wrapt  attention,  while  her  spiritual  guide,  the  vener- 


260  THE  LIFE  WORK   OF   THE   AUTHOR   OF 

ated  Dr.  Hopkins,  unfolded  to  her  the  theories  of  the  great  Ed 
wards  on  the  nature  of  true  virtue.  Womanlike  she  felt  the  sub 
tle  poetry  of  these  sublime  abstractions  which  dealt  with  such  in 
finite  and  unknown  quantities — which  spoke  of  the  universe,  of 
its  great  Architect,  of  man,  of  angels  as  matters  of  intimate  and 
daily  contemplation ;  and  her  teacher,  a  grand  minded  and  simple 
hearted  man  as  ever  lived,  was  often  amazed  at  the  tread  with 
which  this  fair  young  child  walked  through  these  regions  of  ab 
stract  thought, — often  comprehending  through  an  etherial  clear 
ness  of  nature  what  he  had  laboriously  and  heavily  reasoned  out. 
The  elixir  of  the  spirit  that  sparkled  in  her  was  of  that  quality 
of  which  the  souls  of  poets  and  artists  are  made ;  but  the  keen 
New  England  air  crystalizes  emotions  into  ideas,  and  restricts 
many  a  poetic  soul  to  the  necessity  of  expressing  itself  in  only 
practical  living.  The  rigid  theological  discipline  of  New  England 
is  fitted  to  produce  rather  strength  and  purity  than  enjoyment. 
It  is  not  fitted  to  make  a  sensitive  and  thoughtful  nature  happy, 
however  it  might  ennoble  and  exalt." 

One  need  not  apologize  for  extending  excerpts  where 
every  paragraph  holds  a  truth  and  a  depth  of  philosophy 
second  to  that  of  no  writer  of  the  modern  age.  In  fact, 
nothing  can  so  refute  and  disprove  the  charges  sometimes 
made  as  to  Mrs.  Stowe's  unfairness  to  New  England  the 
ology  as  her  own  words.  She  says : 

"It  is  not  in  our  line  to  imply  the  truth  or  the  falsehood  of 
those  systems  of  philosophic  theology  which  seemed  for  many 
years  to  have  been  the  principal  outlet  for  the  proclivities  of  the 
New  England  mind,  but  as  psychological  developments  they 
have  an  intense  interest.  He  who  does  not  see  a  grand  side  to 
these  strivings  of  the  soul,  cannot  understand  one  of  the  noblest 
capabilities  of  humanity.  No  real  artist  or  philosopher  ever 


UNCLE   TOM'S  CABIN.  261 

lived  who  has  not  at  some  hours  risen  to  the  height  of  utter  self- 
abnegation  for  the  glory  of  the  invisible.  There  have  been 
painters  who  would  have  been  crucified  to  demonstrate  the  action 
of  a  muscle, — chemists  who  would  gladly  have  melted  themselves 
and  all  humanity  in  their  crucible  if  so  a  new  discovery  might 
arise  out  of  its  fumes.  Even  persons  of  mere  artistic  sensibility 
are  at  times  raised  by  music,  painting  or  poetry  to  a  momentary 
trance  of  self-oblivion,  in  which  they  would  offer  their  whole  being 
before  the  shrine  of  invisible  loveliness.  These  hard  old  New  Eng 
land  divines  were  the  poets  of  metaphysical  philosophy,  who  built 
systems  in  an  artistic  fervor,  and  felt  self-exhale  from  beneath 
them  as  they  rose  into  the  higher  regions  of  thought.  But  where 
theorists  and  philosophers  tread  with  sublime  assurance,  woman 
often  follows  with  bleeding  footsteps ; — women  are  always  turning 
from  the  abstract  to  the  individual,  and  feeling,  where  the  philos 
opher  only  thinks,  it  was  easy  enough  for  Mary  to  believe  in  self 
renunciation  for  she  was  one  with  a  born  vocation  for  martyrdom 
and  so,  when  the  idea  was  put  to  her  of  suffering  eternal  pains  for 
the  glory  of  God  and  the  good  of  being  in  general,  she  responded 
to  it  with  a  sort  of  sublime  thrill,  such  as  it  is  given  to  some  na 
tures  to  feel  in  view  of  uttermost  sacrifice.  But  when  she  looked 
around  on  the  warm,  living  faces  of  friends,  acquaintances  and 
neighbors,  viewing  them  as  possible  candidates  for  dooms  so  fear 
fully  different,  she  sometimes  felt  the  walls  of  her  faith  closing 
around  her  as  an  iron  shroud, — she  wondered  that  the  sun  could 
shine  so  brightly,  that  flowers  could  flaunt  such  dazzling  colors, 
that  sweet  airs  could  breath  and  little  children  play,  and  youth, 
Idve  and  hope,  and  a  thousand  intoxicating  influences  combine  to 
cheat  the  victims  from  the  thought  that  their  next  step  might  be 
into  an  abyss  of  horrors  without  end." 

The  author  of  "  The  Minister's  Wooing  "  thus  gives  in  a 
few  paragraphs  in  her  second  chapter,  the  intellectual  and 


262  THE   LIFE   WOKK   OF   THE   AUTHOR   OF 

spiritual  effects  of  tlie  severe  theology  of  the  time,  upon  a 
nature  limpid  with  truth  and  purity  which,  willing  to  sac 
rifice  itself,  could  yet  but  feel  a  strong  repulsion  at  the  car 
rying  out  of  the  doctrine  upon  her  fellow  beings.  This  is 
the  key  note  to  much  that  follows  in  the  struggles  and  de 
velopments  of  several  characters.  Mary  Scudder,  young, 
beautiful,  and  full  of  natural  sweetness  and  light,  though  so 
held  and  martyred  in  spirit  by  her  religious  convictions, 
yet  felt  the  breath  of  warm  impulse  and  natural  feeling,  and 
had  become  attached  to  a  young  man,  a  distant  cousin, 
whose  family  connection  had  given  him  free  access  to  the 
house  at  ail  times  and  seasons.  James  Marvyn  was  a 
sailor,  a  frank,  joyous,  thoughtless  lad,  with  merry  dark 
eyes  and  a  head  of  curling  black  hair,  and  a  tall  lithe  fig 
ure,  which  was  full  of  reckless  manly  grace,  most  fascinat 
ing  to  all. 

He  was  the  idol  of  his  old  colored  nurse,  black  Candace, 
the  hope  and  pride  of  his  mother,  as  far  as  her  painfully 
distressed  mind  allowed  her  hope  and  pleasure  in  anything, 
and  from  nature  and  grace,  became  a  favorite  with  the  old 
and  young,  the  poor,  the  wealthy,  the  merry  and  wise ;  the 
reckless  companions  who  devotedly  followed  him,  and  the 
good  people  who  out  of  respect  to  their  religious  profes 
sions,  felt  bound  to  sigh  over  his  careless  happiness  and  an 
imal  spirits. 

Mary  Scudder  was  somehow  specially  concerned  about 
his  spiritual  welfare,  and  from  the  clear  depths  of  her  pure 
heart,  gave  him  anxious  counsel  and  entreaties  to  consider 
his  future  condition.  The  present  was  bright  and  joyous 
enough  for  young  James  Marvyn,  and  though  he  listened 
with  great  tenderness  to  Mary  because  he  loved  her,  it  was 


UNCLE   TOM'S   CABIN.  2G3. 

surely  the  maiden,  and  not  the  Word  that  touched  his 
heart.  In  the  description  and  analysis  of  the  mixed  feel 
ings  which  Mary  felt  for  James,  we  have  one  of  the  keenest 
perceptions,  one  of  the  largest  ideals  and  tenderest  appreci 
ations  of  the  heart  of  a  typical  New  England  maiden  of  the 
last  century,  which  has  ever  seen  the  light.  To  those  who 
have  grown  up  in  the  lore  and  the  lingering  light  of  some 
of  those  lives  of  the  girls  of  a  hundred  years  ago,  it  appears 
delightfully  true  and  pleasant  to  look  upon.  There  is  the 
reincarnation  of  our  idyllic  grandmothers,  in  Mary's  sweet 
young  womanhood.  Those  may  well  feel  loss  who  cannot 
so  regard  it. 

The  character  of  Dr.  Hopkins  stands  out  as  an  artistic 
representation  of  first,  a  gentleman,  and  secondarily  a  the 
ologian,  while  yet  the  philosophy  which  has  permeated  his 
very  soul  does  not  absorb  or  quite  overcome  the  human 
naturalness  of  his  heart.  His  majestic  and  manly  person, 
his  courtly  grace,  his  merciful  kindness  to  the  lower  classes^ 
his  noble  aims  and  maintenance  of  right  against  his  own 
temporal  interests,  his  depth  of  thought  and  eloquence  of 
utterance  are  presented  with  the  pen  of  a  sincere  admirer: 

Particularly  does  the  writer  testify  to  Dr.  Hopkins'  earnest 
action  against  the  holding  of  negroes  as  slaves,  a  custom 
which  obtained  in  his  time  in  New  England,  though  the 
condition  of  things,  climatic  influences  which  set  every 
man  to  work,  made  the  owners  depend  comparatively  little 
upon  the  labor  of  the  slaves,  who  were  held  as  a  class  of 
privileged  family  retainers.  Of  such  the  character  of  Old 
Candace  is  a  type.  The  description  of  her  peculiarities  of 
person  and  mind  is  one  of  the  inimitable  things  in  the  lan 
guage. 


264  THE   LIFE   WORK   OF   THE   AUTHOR   OF 

In  the  character  of  Mr.  Zebedeo  Marvyn  we  have  per 
petuated,  a  type  which  was  common  to  the  New  England 
fathers.  He  was  a  strict,  conscientious  man,  an  ardent 
Federalist,  with  an  energy  of  thought  and  clearness  of  men 
tality  which  marked  the  New  England  character  of  that 
time;  a  well  read  and  careful  theologian,  a  man  occupied 
with  public  trusts ;  deacon  of  the  church ;  chairman  of  the 
school  committee ;  following  up  his  knowledge  of  the  law 
and  his  sense  of  right  with  unflinching  conclusions,  which 
he  enforced  equally  upon  indifferent  persons,  his  own  fam 
ily  or  himself. 

Mrs.  Marvyn,  it  may  be  interesting  to  note,  was  drawn 
from  the  character  of  the  mother  of  young  Professor 
Fisher,  whose  death  at  sea  made  an  unmarried  widow  of 
Catherine  Beecher.  He  is  referred  to  in  the  story  as  the , 
eldest  son,  who  was  a  mathematical  professor  in  one  of  the 
leading  colleges  of  New  England.  Mrs.  Marvyn  was  a  tall, 
sad-eyed,  gentle  mannered  woman  of  a  thoughtful  nature, 
which,  under  the  pressure  of  prevalent  theological  thought 
had  grown  into  a  morbid  conscientiousness  and  insane  fear 
of  God,  which  darkened  her  life. 

She  had  an  artistic  soul,  was  full  of  beautiful  instincts, 
was  by  nature  drawn  to  the  delights  of  existence.  She 
longed  for  grand  music,  for  soul  stirring  pictures,  for 
poetry,  and  grace  and  culture.  She  starved  upon  the  for 
bidding  look  of  the  old  meeting  house,  and  the  wrench 
ing  fugue  tunes  of  the  uncultivated  choir,  upon  the  worsted 
angels,  and  needle  work  grave  yard  scenes  upon  the  walls 
of  the  homes  she  visited.  She  pined  for  noble  themes,  for 
lofty  imaginations  upon  the  beauties  of  the  world,  upon 
the  sweet  affections  and  tendernesses  of  humanity. 


UNCLE   TOM'S  CABIN.  265 

What  she  received  was  stony  doctrines,  cruel  threaten- 
ings,  metaphysical  discussions  upon  intangible  horrors, 
word  paintings  of  the  imminent  terrors  of  the  world  to 
come,  and  constant  conversations  and  despairing  wrestlings 
with  the  awful,  irreconcilable  questions  of  Foreordination 
and  Free  Will.  For  relief,  to  get  away  from  the  lines 
where  madness  lay,  she  occupied  herself  for  days  with 
mathematical  problems,  for  instance,  once  pursuing  a  cer 
tain  imperfect  treatise  upon  Optics  until  she  found  a  mis 
take  in  the  diagrams,  corrected  it  and  made  the  demonstra 
tion  complete.  Utterly  unable  to  feel,  as  she  was  com 
manded  by  theologians  to  believe,  she  regarded  herself  as  a 
child  of  wrath,  one  of  the  non-elect,  an  heir  to  perdition, 
waiting  fearfully  for  the  interposition  of  a  God  who  ap 
peared  to  come  not  near  to  her.  In  speaking  of  the  effects 
of  the  system  of  theology  that  induced  such  a  state  of  feel 
ing  the  author  says, — 

"  These  systems,  so  admirable  in  relation  to  the  energy,  earnest- 
ness  and  accuteness  of  their  authors,  when  received  as  absolute 
truth,  and  as  a  basis  of  actual  life,  had,  on  the  minds  of  a  certain 
class,  the  effect  of  a  slow  poison,  producing  life  habits  of  morbid 
action  very  different  from  any  which  ever  followed  the  simple 
reading  of  the  Bible." 

Harriet  Beecher  Stowe  seemed  possessed  of  the  "  Realo- 
meter  "  desired  by  Thoreau  with  which  to  pierce  the  sludge 
and  alluvium  of  human  opinion  and  custom,  and  strike  the 
enduring  facts  of  existence.  By  it,  she  was  enabled  to  dis 
tinguish  the  seeming  from  the  being,  to  discriminate  be 
tween  the  thought  structures  of,  men  and  the  eternal  word 
of  God.  Her  perceptions  had  been  cleared  through  earnest 


266  THE   LIFE   WORK   OF   THE   AUTHOR   OF 

thought  and  suffering.  Only  one  who  had  endured  similar 
spiritual  agony  could  so  speak  from  the  inner  conscious 
ness,  from  the  secret  chambers  of  the  heart ;  one  who  had 
escaped  from  the  horror  within,  out  into  the  sunshine  of  a 
gentler,  natural  faith,  in  the  love  and  mercy  of  God. 

Those  who  have  so  suffered,  or  been  intimate  wit 
nesses  of  the  torments  of  friends  can  judge  of  the  truth  of 
this  representation.  That  it  is  almost  universally  received, 
as  truth  especially  among  modern  New  Englanders  whose 
hearts  still  echo  like  tolling  bells  to  the  familiar  memories 
of  the  old  thought,  is  sufficient  proof  that  the  writer  had 
presented  no  warped  perspective  or  unreal  picture,  but 
instead  had  again  held  the  mirror  up  to  facts,  struck  the 
chord  of  experience  and  feeling,  in  the  souls  of  a  million 
readers. 

No  sporadic  arguments  can  disprove  the  testimony  of 
the  universal  heart.  Indeed  one  may  safely  presume  that 
the  general  reader  has  so  spontaneously  accepted  this  pic 
ture  as  a  reflection  of  the  truth,  that  any  defense  seems  a 
work  of  supererogation.  There  are,  however,  questions  of 
literary  and  historical  observance  of  material  events,  which 
will  be  noted,  further  on. 

Mary  Scudder  who  had  parted  from  her  lover,  giving  him 
her  little  Bible  with  its  marginal  notes,  next  appears  in  the 
pleasure  of  a  new  experience,  the  event  of  a  brilliant  party 
given  in  honor  of  the  marriage  of  the  daughter  of  one 
of  the  greatest  Newport  families,  bringing  several  influen 
tial  associations  into  her  serene  existence.  She  was  attired 
most  exquisitely  under  the  fingers  of  Miss  Prissy,  the  lit 
tle  spinster  dress  maker  who  went  from  house  to  house 
through  the  town,  creating  out  of  stuffs  useful  and  tasteful 


UNCLE   TOM'S   CABIN.  267 

garments,  a  character  which  has  'become  classic  for  its  clear 
cut  outlines  and  peculiar  fidelity  to  a  class  now  passing 
away  under  the  changed  conditions  of  social  life.  Under 
the  chaperonage  of  her  mother  and  escorted  by  Dr.  Hop 
kins  in  all  the  dignity  of  his  personal  appearance  and 
divine  office,  Mary  Scudder  went  to  the  splendid  fete. 
Aaron  Burr  who  at  the  period  of  which  the  author  writes, 
held  a  name  associated  with  most  brilliant  success,  is  here 
introduced  as  one  of  the  personages  of  the  story.  Quite 
familiar  by  hearsay  and  historical  knowledge  of  the  apt, 
subtle,  dazzling  and  peculiarly  engaging  grandson  of  the 
great  divine,  Jonathan  Edwards,  who  had  figured  conspic 
uously  in  the  society  of  Litchfield,  Mrs.  Stowe  saw  in  his 
brilliant  personality  an  admirable  figure  for  her  tale.  He 
therefore  steps  upon  the  stage  at  the  Wilcox's .  party,  a 
startling,  distinct,  keenly  delicate,  fascinating  and  unscru 
pulous  character,  a  most  effective  foil  to  the  hero,  quite  the 
antipodes  of  Mary's  rustic  admirers  in  general  and  in  sharp 
contrast  to  young,  frank  James  Marvyn,  in  particular. 
That  the  practiced,  high  bred  man  of  the  world  made  a 
strong  impression  upon  women  whenever  he  met  them,  is 
well  known. 

Mary  Scudder  is  attracted  to  him,  but  not  all  his  artful 
tact  and  wary  shrewdness  in  compliment,  disarm  her  calm 
self-poise  or  win  more  than  a  friendly  glance.  Indeed  the  de- 
liciocs  coolness  with  which  she  responds  to  his  most  ardent 
advances,  is  thoroughly  enjoyable.  Burr  became  interested 
in  this  New  England  maiden,  whose  pure  unimpassioned 
beauty  seemed  to  have  a  stellar  remoteness  from  him,  and 
began  to  experiment  upon  her,  to  his  own  rare  discomfiture. 

The  entrance    of    Madame  de  Frontignac,  the  volatile, 


268  THE  LIFE   WOKK   OF   THE   AUTHOR  OF 

scintillating,  but  true  hearted  French  woman,  who  for  the 
time  is  held  in  the  thrall  of  Aaron  Burr's  Satanic  fascina 
tion,  brought  to  American  readers  a  character  which  re 
mains  one  of  the  most  bewitching  depictions  of  our  litera 
ture.  Beautiful,  generous,  impulsive,  with  all  the  graces 
of  mind  and  character  which  the  author  had  learned  to  love 
in  the  French  people,  Virginie  de  Froritignac  appears  as  the 
wife  of  a  Colonel  upon  LaFayette's  staff,  a  grave  and  digni 
fied  man  who  was  some  twenty -seven  years  her  elder. 

Married  after  the  French  custom  which  consigns  its 
maidens  most  willingly  to  respectability  and  station,  re 
gardless  of  such  a  thing  as  love  before  the  event ;  consent 
ing  gleefully  in  order  that  she  might  emerge  from  the  con 
vent,  that  she  might  wear  velvet,  lace  and  diamonds,  that 
she  might  go  out  without  surveillance ;  regarded  by  her 
Lusband  as  a  beautiful  though  very  absurd  little  pet ;  it 
was  not  until  Yirginie  met  Aaron  Burr,  that  she  knew  what 
it  was  to  love,  then  alas,  with  only  mortification  as  its 
result,  and  the  risk  to  her  happiness  doubly  great,  from  the 
dishonorable  character  of  the  man. 

Her  meeting  with  Mary  is  the  event  upon  which  turns 
her  destiny,  for  contact  with  another  pure  woman's  soul, 
one  scarcely  vulnerable  to  the  temptation  which  threatens 
hers,  saves  her  from  her  giddy  self,  and  transforms  her  into 
her  higher  possibility  as  a  noble  wife  and  devoted  mother, 
but  not  immediately,  for  Colonel  Burr  is  yet  to  be  under 
stood  by  Mary  Scudder ;  the  bewitching  little  Madame 
is  yet  to  be  won  and  softened  and  changed  by  the  atmos 
phere  of  the  homes  of  the  Scudders  and  Marvyns,  into 
which. she  enters  as  a  friend. 

Madame  de  Frontignac  soon  proposes  to  give  French  les- 


UNCLE  TOM'S  CABIN.  269 

sons  to  Mary  and  Mrs.  Marvyn.  The  latter  was  drawn  to 
the  charming  French  woman  as  to  a  beautiful  poem.  She 
had  for  some  time  been  studying  the  language  to  fit 
herself  to  master  an  astronomical  treatise,  which  she  had 
found  written  in  that  tongue.  Yirginie  gives  the  lessons, 
simultaneously  improving  her  lisping  English,  and  making 
a  picture  at  the  spinning  wheel  with  her  dainty  ways  and 
pretty  costumes,  her  rings  sparkling  in  odd  contrast  to 
the  severe  plainness  of  the  wooden  chair  and  whirring 
wheel.  She  soon  penetrates  Mary's  sweet  secret  con 
cerning  the  black-eyed  lad  at  sea,  and  chatters  on  most 
entertainingly  with  a  mingling  of  storytelling,  airy  phil 
osophy  and  matter  of  fact  observation,  which  bewitches 
her  hearers. 


CHAPTEE  XII. 

THE  MINISTER'S  WOOING,  CONTINUED.  DOCTOR  HOPKINS  AS 
A  LOVER.  THE  LOSS  OF  JAMES  MARVYN'S  SHIP.  A 
MOTHER'S  INCONSOLABLE  GRIEF  FOR  HER  UNREGENERATE 
SON.  "  VIEWS  OF  DIVINE  GOVERNMENT."  THE  RELIGION  OF 
OLD  BLACK  CANDACE.  COLONEL  AARON  BURR.  MADAME  DE 
FRONTIGNAC.  RETURN  OF  JAMES  MARVYN.  MISS  PRIS- 
SY'S  INTERVENTION.  THE  EFFECT  OF  THE  STORY  UPON 

EMINENT  THEOLOGIANS.  PROFESSOR  PARK'S  CONVERSA 
TIONS  WITH  THE  AUTHOR.  A  RECENT  TESTIMONIAL  OF 
HIS  ADMIRATION  AND  ESTEEM  FOR  MRS.  STOWE.  THE 
MINISTER'S  WOOING  NOT  A  HISTORICAL  NOVEL  EXCEPT  IN 

ITS    REPRESENTATIONS    OF    THE    METAPHYSICAL    EVENTS 

BROUGHT  ABOUT  BY  THE  INFLUENCE  OF  THE  THEOLOGY 
OF  THE  PERIOD.  VARIOUS  HISTORICAL  ANACHRONISMS. 
ARCHBISHOP  WHATELY'S  ESTIMATE  OF  THE  LITERARY 
VALUE  OF  THE  WORK.  A  LETTER  FROM  GLADSTONE. 

The  summer  passes.  Madame  de  Frontignac  has  re 
turned  to  Philadelphia  with  her  husband,  from  whence  she 
sends  very  polyglot  letters  to  Mary. 

The  good  Doctor  has  gone  on  with  his  work,  waging 
war  upon  the  Newport  slaveholders,  who  are  also  his 
wealthiest  supporters,  and  winning  afresh  golden  opinions 
of  his  women  friends  at  the  Scudder  cottage,  who  fully 
appreciate  his  self-abnegation  in  what  he  considers  a  just 
cause.  Nothing  is  heard  of  James  Marvyn,  and  Mary 
270 


UNCLE   TOM'S  CABIN.  271 

is  so  steadily  silent  about  him  that  Mrs.  Scudder's  heart 
lightens  with  the  hope  that  her  affections  may  be  turn 
ing  to  the  (in  her  opinion)  more  worthy  object  nearer  by, 
for  it  is  the  hope  of  her  devoted  heart  that  Mary  shall 
marry  Dr.  Hopkins,  who  she  is  assured  entertains  a  deep 
love  for  her  child.  It  is  Miss  Prissy  who  comes  one  day 
to  tell  dreadful  news  to  Mrs.  Scudder,  and  her  words,  de 
scriptive  of  Mrs.  Marvyn's  agony  at  the  news  from  her 
son's  ship,  that  fall  upon  Mary's  stricken  ears.  The 
scene  that  ensues  is  alive  with  feeling.  Mary's  crushed 
heart,  the  futile  sympathies  of  her  friends  and  the  prayer  of 
the  good  Doctor  raised  to  Heaven  over  her  quivering  but 
almost  senseless  frame,  recall  that  sorrow  which  befell  the 
Beecher  family  in  the  years  long  gone  by  when  sister 
Catherine  thus  suffered,  while  all  stood  by,  helpless,  ex 
cept  in  prayer. 

To  Mary  only,  the  agonized  mother  expressed  her  grief, 
she  instinctively  turns  to  her  young  arms  and  Mary  re 
mains  some  days  at  the  Marvyn's  home,  the  two  stricken 
women  weeping,  conversing  and  imploring  help  in  the 
privacy  of  their  sacred  seclusion.  In  the  23rd  Chapter 
entitled  "  Yiews  of  Divine  Government,"  is  the  heart  of 
the  book.  It  is  an  incomparable  discussion  and  presenta 
tion  of  the  whole  religion  of  feeling,  in  contrast  with  the 
metaphysical  theology  which  then  prevailed. 

See  the  effect  of  such  doctrines  upon  a  grief-stricken 
soul! 

"  Mary,"  she  said,  "  I  can't  help  it, — don't  mind  what  I  say, 
but  I  must  speak  or  die ! — it  is  all  hard,  unjust,  cruel ! — to  all 
eternity  I  will  say  so !  To  me  there  is  no  goodness,  no  justice,  no 
mercy  in  anything !  Life  seems  to  me  the  most  tremendous  doom 


272  THE  LIFE  WOKE   OF   THE   AUTHOR   OF 

that  can  be  inflicted  on  a  helpless  being !  What  have  we  done,  that 
it  should  be  sent  upon  us  ?  Why  were  we  made  to  love  so,  to 
hope  so, — our  hearts  so  full  of  feeling,  and  all  the  laws  of  Nature 
marching  over  us, — never  stopping  for  our  agony  ?  Why,  we  can 
suffer  so  in  this  life  that  we  had  better  never  have  been  born  ! 

**  But,  Mary,  think  for  a  moment,  what  life  is  !  think  of  those 
awful  ages  of  eternity !  and  then  think  of  all  God's  power  and 
knowledge  used  on  the  lost  to  make  them  suffer !  think  that  all 
but  the  merest  fragment  of  mankind  have  gone  into  this, — are  in 
it  now  !  The  number  of  the  elect  is  so  small  we  can  scarce  count 
them  for  anything!  Think  what  noble  minds,  what  warm,  gen 
erous  hearts,  what  splendid  natures  are  wrecked  and  thrown  away 
by  thousands  and  ten  thousands  !  how  we  love  each  other !  how 
our  hearts  weave  into  each  other !  how  more  than  glad  we  should 
be  to  die  for  each  other!  And  all  this  ends  .  .  .  .  O  God,  how 
must  it  end  ? — Mary  !  it  isn't  my  sorrow  only  !  What  right  have 
I  to  mourn?  Is  my  son  any  better  than  any  other  mother's  son? 
Thousands  of  thousands,  whose  mothers  loved  them  as  I  love 
mine,  are  gone  there ! — Oh,  my  wedding  day  !  Why  did  they  re 
joice  ?  Brides  should  wear  mourning, — the  bells  should  toll  for 
every  wedding ;  every  new  family  is  built  over  this  awful  pit  of 
despair,  and  only  one  in  a  thousand  escapes  ! " 

Mrs.  Marvyn's  grief  at  last  amounts  to  frenzy  and  Mary- 
failing  to  find  strength  in  her  bruised  heart  to  console 
James'  mother,  appeals  to  Mr.  Marvyn  who  sits  determin 
edly  reading  his  Bible ;  but  old  Candace,  takes  her  in  her 
arms  like  a  weary  child  and  rocking  her  back  and  forth 
upon  her  broad  shoulder  talks  to  her,  not  of  theology,  nor 
systems,  but  of  her  heavenly  Father,  of  His  love  and  pity, 
of  His  tenderness  and  love  to  his  suffering  creatures. — 

"Honey,  darlin',  ye  a'n't  right, — dar's  a  drefful  mistake  some- 
whar,"  she  said.  "  Why,  de  Lord  a'n't  like  what  ye  tink, — He 


UNCLE   TOM'S  CABIN.  273 

loves  ye,  honey !  Why,  jes'  feel  how  1  loves  ye, — poor  ole  black 
Candace,  an*  I  a'n't  better'n  Him  as  made  me !  Who  was  it  wore 
de  crown  o'  thorns,  lamb? — who  was  it  sweat  great  drops  o'  blood? 
— Who  was  it  said,  '  Father,  forgive  dem  ? '  Say,  honey ! — wasn't 
it  de  Lord  dat  made  ye? — Dar,  Dar,  now  ye'r,  cryin  'I — cry 
away  and  ease  yer  poor  little  heart !  He  died  for  Mass'r  Jim, — 
loved  him  and  died  for  him, — jes'  give  up  his  sweet  precious  body 
and  soul  for  him  on  de  cross  !  Laws,  jes'  leave  him  in  Jesus'  hands  ! 
Why,  honey,  dar's  de  very  print  o'  de  nails  in  his  hands  now ! " 

The  flood  gates  are  rent ;  and  healing  sobs  and  tears 
shake  the  frail  form,  as  a  crushed  flower  shakes  under  the 
soft  rains  of  summer.  All  in  the  room  weep  together. 

"  Now  honey,"  said  Candace,  after  a  pause  of  some  minutes, 
"  I  knows  our  Doctor's  a  mighty  good  man,  an'  learned, — an'  in 
fair  weather  I  ha'nt  no  'bjection  to  yer  hearin'  all  about  dese  yer 
great  an'  mighty  tings  he's  got  to  say.  But,  honey,  dey  won't  do 
for  you  now ;  sick  folks  mus'n't  hab  strong  meat ;  an'  dat  ar's 
Jesus.  Jes'  come  right  down  to  whar  poor  ole  black  Candace  has 
to  stay  allers, — it's  a  good  place  darlin' !  Look  right  at  Jesus.  Tell 
ye,  honey,  ye  can't  live  no  other  way  now.  Don't  ye  'member 
how  He  looked  on  His  mother,  when  she  stood  faintin'  an'tremblin* 
under  de  cross  jes'  like  you  ?  He  knows  all  about  mothers'  hearts  ; 
He  won't  break  yours.  It  was  jes'  'cause  He  know'd  we'd  come 
into  straits  like  dis  yer,  dat  he  went  through  all  dese  tings, — Him 
de  Lord  of  Glory !  Is  dis  Him  you  was  a-talkin'  about  ? — Him 
you  can't  love?  Look  at  Him,  an'  see  ef  you  can't.  Look  an' 
see  what  He  is ! — don't  ask  no  questions,  and  don't  go  to  no  reas- 
onin's, — jes'  look  at  Him,  hangin'  dar,  so  sweet  and  patient,  on  de 
cross  !  All  dey  could  do  couldn't  stop  his  lovin'  em  ;  he  prayed 
for  'em  wid  all  de  breath  he  had.  Dar's  a  God  you  can  love,  ain't 
dar  ?  Candace  loves  Him, — poor,  ole,  foolish,  black,  wicked  Can- 
18 


274  THE   LIFE   WORK   OF   THE   AUTHOR  OF 

dace, — and  she  knows  He  loves  her," — and  here  Candace  broke 
down  into  torrents  of  weeping. 

They  laid  the  mother,  faint  and  weary,  on  her  bed,  and 
beneath  the  shadow  of  that  awful  suffering,  came  down  a 
healing  sleep  on  those  weary  eylids.  It  was  true,  natural, 
religion  this  homely  exhortation  of  the  unlettered  colored 
woman,  and  the  bleeding  heart  was  softened  and  healed  by 
the  burst  of  tears  which  relieved  the  tension  of  the  dis 
traught  nerves  and  made  life  and  reason  possible. 

Certain  critics  question  Mrs.  Stowe's  theology,  but  no  one 
can  fail  to  be  moved  and  benefitted  by  her  religion,  if  never 
shown  but  in  this  scene. 

Mary  remains  many  days  at  the  white  house,  for  during 
the  illness  that  follows,  no  one  can  smooth  the  throbbing 
temples,  no  one  stroke  the  nervous  hands,  no  one  speak  to 
the  sore  heart,  as  she.  Mary  keeps  silence  upon  her  own 
feelings  and  when  once  more  resuming  the  routine  of  her 
home  life,  maintains  the  calm  execution  of  her  duties  with 
a  gentle  sweetness,  scarcely  different  from  her  old  manner. 

Madame  de  Frontignac  comes  back  to  Newport  with  the 
shadow  of  a  sorrow  upon  her  too,  and  at  last  gives  Mary 
the  history  of  her  life  with  the  confession  of  her  love  for 
Aaron  Burr,  which  happily  but  how  wrenchingly,  had 
been  broken,  by  the  finding  of  a  letter  written  to  him  by  a 
friend,  in  which  the  stranger  spoke  of  her  so  lightly,  that 
she  knew  Burr  was  false  to  her,  as  he  had  been  to  honor,  in 
approaching  her.  It  had  been  in  time,  and  her  dream  is 
over3  though  the  memory  of  it  is  bitter.  The  interview 
of  the  two  women  affords  a  striking  picture.  The  frail 
wife,  the  staunch  maiden;  the  deceived  one,  and  the 
bereaved  sufferer;  the  one  France,  the  other  New  Eng- 


UNCLE   TOM'S  CABIN.  275 

land  ;  the  one  looking  for  strength  and  guidance  to  the  priest 
of  the  Roman  church  which  held  its  wings  over  her,  the 
other  striving  with  Puritan  theology  to  understand  and  be 
reconciled  to  a  system,  which  seemed  to  shut  her  away  from 
the  God  whom  she  yet  instinctively  sought,  and  believed  to 
be  a  loving  Father. 

It  is  a  powerful  piece  of  work,  an  intellectual  canvas 
which  presents  the  mingled  threads  of  life,  conforming 
most  marvelously  with  the  quaint  fashion  of  the  last 
century,  but  revealing  the  best  qualities  and  the  enduring 
traits  of  the  human  heart. 

With  her  flowered  satins,  her  ribbons,  laces  and  plumes, 
her  diamonds  and  rouge,  Yirginie  leaves  behind  her  at 
Philadelphia,  the  old  frivolous  heart,  and  comes  back  to 
Newport,  with  her  simple  costumes,  her  innocent  tastes 
and  her  sunny  lovableness,  a  blessing  to  them  all  in  the 
Scudder  home. 

The  year  has  gone  around  and  Mary  has  conquered  the 
sharpness  of  her  grief,  though  the  deep  sadness  of  it  re 
mains  in  her  heart,  hidden  from  view.  Then  comes  the 
proposal  of  Doctor  Hopkins  for  her  hand  in  marriage,  made 
to  Mrs.  Scudder  in  true  courtly  style.  Mary's  reception  of 
it  is  touching  in  the  extreme,  and  her  consent,  unselfishly 
given  in  the  hope  of  making  some  one  happy,  is  the 
thing  to  be  expected  from  her. 

The  reader  comes  nearer  to  loving  the  Doctor,  in  the 
scene  when  he  is  told  of  Mary's  acceptance,  than  at  any 
time  in  the  previous  chapters.  The  impression  of  the 
grand,  self-contained  nature,  so  strongly  going  out  to  this 
young  girl,  yet  so  bravely  waiting  a  possible  refusal  and  so 
gratefully,  with  all  humility,  accepting  the  blessing,  almost 


276  THE   LIFE   WORK   OF   THE   AUTHOR   OF 

makes  one  forget  the  natural  objection  to  fate,  which  h as- 
given  to  him  the  happiness,  which  should  have  belonged  to 
the  young  and  now  lost  lover.  The  betrothal  is  made, 
and  to  casual  eyes,  even  to  her  own  desiring  heart,  Mary 
seems  to  be  happy. 

Madame  de  Frontignac,  warned  by  her  own  experience 
regards  her  with  attention.  Not  altogether  understanding 
the  hearts  of  New  England  maidens,  she  yet  holds  a  faith 
that  girls  are  much  alike  the  world  over,  and  she  can 
not  believe  that  this  marriage  is  to  be  a  good  thing,  but 
she  keeps  her  own  counsel.  The  excitement  in  the  parish 
when  the  prospective  marriage  is  formally  announced,  the 
presentation  of  numerous  gifts,  various  and  widely  differing 
in  value,  the  energetic  preparations  of  the  good  wives  who 
speedily  find  vent  for  their  enthusiasm  in  "a  quilting" 
for  the  minister's  new  housekeeping,  are  brought  before  the 
eye  in  the  natural  procession  of  events.  Then  comes  Colo 
nel  Aaron  Burr  back  to  Newport  and  makes  an  attempt  to 
renew  his  power  over  Madame  de  Frontignac,  who  has  dis 
missed  him  some  time  before.  He  calls  at  the  Scudders 
only  to  meet  Mary,  and  receive  such  a  rebuff  and  admoni 
tion  as  it  is  probable  he  had  never  before  encountered.  One 
should  read  the  chapter  describing  it,  to  see  what  can  be 
said  by  a  pure  woman,  who  is  defending  her  friend  from  a 
libertine.  It  is  strong  and  salutatory  and  will  so  remain 
while  society  stands.  While  Burr  remains  in  Newport, 
Mary  stands  between  her  friend  and  him,  pleading,  cooling, 
admonishing  and  saving. 

Much  to  the  astonishment  of  modest  Doctor  Hopkins, 
who  never  imagined  that  his  marriage  to  Mary  Scudder,  in 
whose  family  he  had  for  some  years  resided,  and  where  he 


UNCLE   TOM'S  CABIN.  277 

intended  to  remain  at  least  for  a  time,  would  make  such 
a  social  earthquake,  the  preparations  and  arrangements 
for  his  wedding  appear  to  be  convulsing  the  whole 
parish. 

As  the  interest  approaches  the  focal  point,  which  is  at 
the  Scudder  cottage,  it  has  served  to  dismantle  the  house, 
to  uproot  and  tear  apart  the  contiguity  of  the  household 
goods  and  throw  all  into  a  preliminary  chaos,  for  the  house 
is  to  be  cleaned,  an  operation  which  always  precedes  any 
public  social  occasion,  and  after  that  sewing  is  to  be  done, 
and  baking,  brewing  and  conserving  are  to  immediately 
precede  the  great  event.  When  the  heavier  work  is  done, 
Miss  Prissy  comes  to  make  the  wedding  dress,  and  the 
family  is  absorbed  in  the  operation. 

Madame  de  Fontignac  ably  seconds  Miss  Prissy's  ef 
forts,  and  adds  sundry  delicate  touches  and  suggestions 
which  make  the  bridal  robe  and  appurtenances,  a  dream  of 
beauty.  Indeed,  so  fully  does  the  spirit  and  sympathy  of 
the  occasion  permeate  the  pages  of  the  story  at  this  point, 
that  no  woman  can  read  it  without  a  thrill  of  interest  in 
every  slightest  detail. 

Sweet  Mary  Scudder  walks  by  the  shore  one  evening, 
only  three  days  before  her  expected  marriage,  filled  with 
calm  anticipations  of  the  duties  of  her  new  life,  when  from 
the  air  behind  her  comes  a  voice  which  stops  her  heart, 
"  Mary ! "  and  the  tall  figure  of  James  Marvyn  bends  over 
her,  his  dark  eyes  looks  into  her  own,  his  black  curls  shut 
out  the  blue  sky,  his  strong  arms  clasp  her  to  his  beating 
heart. 

For  an  hour  she  forgets  all  but  him.  Knows  only  that 
he  lives,  is  there,  and  that  he  loves  her.  But  suddenly 


278  THE   LIFE  WORK   OF   THE   AUTHOR   OF 

comes  the  recollection  of  all  the  rest,  and  Mary  goes  home. 
It  is  true  to  her  character  that  she  does  not  for  an  instant 
think  of  breaking  her  word  to  the  Doctor.  It  has  come  to 
her  as  one  of  the  inevitable  things  in  life,  and  she  consid 
ers  herself  as  firmly  bound  by  her  word,  as  if  the  ceremony 
of  marriage  had  been  performed. 

On  the  ship  with  James  came  his  letter  from  Canton, 
telling  of  his  safety  and  full  of  his  spiritual  experiences  and 
and  an  account  of  the  misfortunes  which  had  overtaken 
his  ship.  Her  Bible  has  been  an  anchor  to  him,  or  rather 
a  pole  star,  by  which  to  guide  his  course  more  steadily 
than  in  the  days  when  he  had  not  found  it.  James  Mar- 
vyn  has  come  home  somewhat  sobered,  more  serious  in 
thought,  more  worthy  of  Mary.  He  has  become  the  man 
she  always  hoped  and  prayed  he  would  be,  but  she  is  prom 
ised  to  another,  and  that  one,  a  man  whom  she  reveres  and 
loves  with  a  peculiar  respect  and  trustfulness ;  whom  she 
regards  as  the  best  man  she  ever  knew. 

But — here  is  James,  alive,  and  more  than  ever  master 
of  her  girl's  heart,  and  all  light  seems  to  go  out  of  the  fut 
ure.  The  description  of  Mary's  sad  resignation  to  her 
strange  fate ;  the  anxious  fears  of  her  mother  which  are  stilled 
by  Mary's  view  of  her  duty ;  the  remonstrances  of  Madame 
de  Fontignac  privately  offered  to  Mary's  sympathetic  heart; 
the  innocent  complacency  of  the  Doctor  who,  dwelling  high 
up  in  the  realms  of  lofty  thought,  has  no  inkling  of  the  dan 
ger  that  menaces  his  domestic  happiness;  the  artful  inter 
vention  of  Madame  de  Fontignac  in  upsetting  a  stand  and 
breaking  a  water  pitcher,  which  takes  Mrs.  Scudder  up 
stairs,  so  that  James  has  a  moment  to  speak  one  last  lov 
ing  entreaty  to  Mary;  and  at  last,  the  fearful  determination 


UNCLE    TOM'S   CABIN.  279 

of  little  Miss  Prissy  to  sacrifice  herself,  brave  ignominy, 
death,  if  necessary,  rather  than  that  Mary  should  be  sacri 
ficed  to  a  promise  which  under  the  present  circumstances 
never  could  have  been  made;  the  irruption  of  Miss 
Prissy,  desperate  with  conflicting  emotions,  into  the  Doc 
tor's  study,  where  she  manages  to  quiet  her  beating  heart 
long  enough  to  tell  the  good  man  the  true  state  of  affairs, 
is  a  passage  which  is  a  masterpiece  of  realistic  writing.  It 
is  one  which  remains  a  pleasant  memory,  as  of  an  actual 
event,  in  the  mind  of  each  reader. 

Dear  little  Miss  Prissy,  whom  happy  wives  and  roman 
tic  maidens  will  never  cease  to  bless  for  having  broken  the 
truth  to  the  Doctor,  knows  nothing  can  set  things  back  as 
they  were.  With  this  bitter  knowledge  of  the  youthful 
loves  of  Mary  and  James,  the  good  man  cannot  require  his 
bride,  and  with  a  noble  self  abnegation,  only  possible  to 
such  disciplined  natures,  he  resigns  her  to  the  dashing 
sailor  lad,  whom  she  loves  with  a  feeling  so  different  from 
her  affection  for  him.  The  scene  in  which  he  received  the 
blasting  tidings  and  the  one  following,  wherein  he,  most 
dignified,  courtly  and  graceful  in  manner,  though  with  a 
breaking  heart,  gives  his  bride  to  James  Marvyn,  is  doubt 
less  one  of  the  most  artistic  and  moving  passages  in  the 
book.  With  it,  is  completed  "The  Minister's  Wooing." 

Miss  Prissy 's  letter,  which  gives  a  delightfully  detailed 
and  feminine  account  of  the  wedding  and  the  prosperity 
which  came  to  James  from  an  acquaintance  formed  in 
China,  and  the  brief  chapter  giving  a  last  glimpse  at  the 
De  Frontignac's,  now  happy  and  blest  with  sons,  and  the 
mention  of  the  erection  by  unknown  hands,  of  a  monument 
upon  Burr's  lonely  grave, -close  the  work.  Any  sketch  is 


280  THE  LIFE  WORK   OF   THE   AUTHOR   OF 

necessarily  a  mere  outline.  It  so  utterly  fails  to  give  a  hint 
of  the  strength,  and  artistic  effect  of  the  story,  that  the 
writer  is  tempted  to  cut  it  all  out,  only  entreating  those  to 
whom  it  is  unfamiliar  to  read  and  carefully  digest  "  The 
Minister's  Wooing,"  which  so  far  transcends  anything  that 
can  be  said  in  its  praise. 

The  effect  of  the  story  upon  the  theologians  of  the  School 
at  Andover  was  very  marked  and  productive  of  some  un 
pleasantness.  Prof.  Park,  the  President  of  the  Seminary, 
called  upon  Mrs.  Stowe  several  times  before  the  story  was 
completed,  and  also  previous  to  its  issue  in  book  form,  urg 
ing  strenuously  that  she  should  modify  some  of  its  features. 
This  she  quietly  but  firmly  refused  to  do.  It  was  not  the 
habit  of  Harriet  Beecher  Stowe  to  put  forth  an  ill-consid 
ered  work,  and  having  decided  upon  the  truth  of  a  thing 
she  did  not  lack  the  courage  of  her  opinions.  She  reminded 
the  theologian  that  no  one  but  herself  would  be  responsible 
for  "  The  Minister's  Wooing."  That  it  appeared  to  her  to 
be  a  truthful  representation  of  religious  thought  and  feel 
ing  in  the  past  century,  and  that  it  must  stand.  Having 
studied  and  thought  out  its  conclusions  from  historical  facts 
and  the  personal  impressions  of  many  people  whom  she 
relied  upon  as  impartial  witnesses,  Mrs.  Stowe  felt  no  obli 
gation  to  modify  her  statements  or  disguise  her  views 
to  suit  the  forms  of  differing  opinion.  She  desired  it  to  go 
forth  as  her  own.  She  did  not  swerve  from  its  support 
when  it  met  reprisal.  However,  the  impression  which  has 
sometimes  been  given  that  the  President  of  the  Theological 
Seminary  was  thereby  prejudiced  against  Mrs.  Stowe,  is 
shown  to  be  a  false  one  by  the  sub-joined  paragraph  from  a 
letter  lately  received  from  Dr.  Park,  in  answer  to  inquir- 


UNCLE   TOM'S  CABIN.  281 

ies  upon  the  subject,  which  contains  nothing  but  expres 
sions  of  sincere  friendship  and  admiration. 

"  As  I  loaned  Mrs.  Stowe  some  copies  of  my  Memoir  of  Dr. 
Samuel  Hopkins,  I  was  led  to  converse  with  her  from  time  to  time 
in  regard  to  her  representations  of  him.  I  regarded  these  repre 
sentations  as  incompatible  with  the  character  of  Dr.  Hopkins.  I 
thought  that  all  his  wooing  was  conducted  in  a  more  logical  and 
theological  style  than  that  which  was  portrayed  in  her  novel.  I 
thought  that  his  friends  would  regard  her  description  of  him  as 
incompatible  with  fact.  There  were  some  historical  and  geo 
graphical  inaccuracies  which  I  thought  might  be  easily  rectified. 
After  the  volume  was  published  some  resident  of  Rhode  Island 
wrote  an  article  for  some  Rhode  Island  newspaper  criticising  Mrs. 
Stowe's  volume  in  a  humorous  way.  The  article  purported  to  be 
a  letter  written  by  Dr.  Hopkins  from  his  heavenly  abode.  It  was 
a  very  exact  imitation  of  the  style  in  which  he  wrote  when  living 
here  below.  He  was  pleased  to  receive  Madam  Stowe's  informa 
tion  regarding  Newport,  the  place  of  his  former  residence.  He 
was  rather  surprised,  however,  to  learn  that  the  sun  had  changed 
its  place  of  rising  and  of  setting.  He  did  not  exactly  comprehend 
the  reason  for  the  sun's  rising  and  setting  in  such  unwonted 
places. 

"After  I  had  mentioned  to  Mrs.  Stowe  some  of  the  criticisms 
which  would  be  made  upon  her  volume,  she  wrote  me  a  very 
beautiful  letter,  which  I  loaned  to  a  friend,  who  loaned  it  to  a 
neighbor,  who  loaned  it  to  a  collector  of  autographs ;  and,  of 
course,  I  have  never  been  able  to  recover  it.  In  her  letter  she 
stated  that  she  had  planted  her  seed,  that  it  had  germinated  and 
was  growing  rapidly ;  she  did  not  think  it  safe  to  cut  off  the  branch 
that  was  too  long,  nor  to  lengthen  the  branch  that  was  too  short, 
nor  to  interfere  with  the  natural  growth  of  the  plant.  She  thought 
that  facts  were  very  useful  in  their  place,  but  nature  should 


282  THE  LIFE   WORK   OF   THE   AUTHOR   OF 

not  conform  to  them,  they  were  so  stubborn.  Her  letter  was 
a  rare  specimen  of  genius.  I  regret  that  I  was  so  much  pleased 
with  it  as  to  lend  it. 

"So  many  years  have  elapsed  since  the  publication  of  Mrs. 
Stowe's  volume  that  I  have  forgotten  the  particulars  in  which,  as 
I  thought,  she  misrepresented  the  theological  system  of  Dr. 
Hopkins.  Of  course,  she  did  not  intend  to  leave  any  wrong  im 
pression  in  regard  to  his  speculations  or  his  character.  I  shall 
be  very  happy  to  see  your  Memoir,  which  will  be  read,  I  pre 
sume,  by  thousands  of  her  admirers. 

Very  respectfully,  dear  Madam,  I  am, 
Your  friend  and  servant, 

EDWARDS  A.  PARK." 

It  will  be  seen  that  their  difference  was  not  serious  and 
that  to  the  end  of  her  life  she  retained  the  esteem  and  ad 
miration  of  the  eminent  theologian. 

It  appears,  however,  that  there  were  points  upon  which 
just  criticism  might  be  made,  an  opportunity  which  her 
detractors  did  not  neglect. 

While  it  should  be  remembered  that  the  author  was 
dealing  more  especially  with  a  history  of  theological 
thought,  rather  than  public  actions,  she  perhaps  rather 
daringly  ignored  the  literary  Chadbands  who  stood  ready  to 
dissect  her  work,  and  with  some  temerity,  adapted  histori 
cal  events  to  her  wants  for  a  novel. 

Though  appearing  as  such,  "The  Minister's  Wooing" 
can  not  be  taken  as  a  historical  novel,  except  in  its  repre 
sentation  of  the  metaphysical  events  brought  about  by  the 
influence  of  the  theology  of  the  period.  There  are  ana 
chronisms  in  the  sequence  of  historical  events  which  are 
easily  discernible  to  anyone  who  chooses  to  regard  the  story 


UNCLE  TOM'S  CABIN.  283 

from  a  "  Dry-as-Dust  "  point  of  view.  It  is  indeed  a  ques 
tion  how  far  the  novelist's  license  may  go  in  introducing 
well-known  personages,  and  how  much  may  be  forgiven  to 
an  author's  liberty  in  transferring  actual  events  to  meet  the 
demands  of  his  construction  and  putting  them  into  different 
relation  to  other  real  or  imaginary  occurrences.  This 
license  Mrs.  Stowe  took  with  the  utmost  freedom,  without 
perhaps  sufficient  consideration  of  the  fact,  that  having 
borrowed  so  generously  from  history  she  owed  it  careful 
handling  in  return.  She  deferred  the  love  disappointment 
of  an  eminent  divine,  which  actually  occurred  in  youth,  to 
an  age  when  he  was  happily  married  and  the  father  of 
a  family  with  several  grand-children ;  not  only  transfer 
ring  his  love  affair  from  Berkshire  to  Newport,  but  from 
the  age  of  the  early  20's  (Dr.  Hopkins  being  mar 
ried  at  26)  to  his  declining  years,  thereby  imputing  to  him 
the  eccentricity  (a  thing  very  rare  with  New  England  di 
vines)  of  having  lived  to  middle  age,  a  bachelor. 

This  had  been  of  trifling  account  had  not  the  dates 
which  the  advent  of  Aaron  Burr  forces  us  to  assume  1791 
— 1797,  also  deferred  some  twenty-five  years,  his  outspoken 
objection  to  slavery.  This,  though  certainly  unintentional, 
appears  to  some  people,  an  actual  injustice.  His  argument 
with  Dr.  Bellamy,  which  resulted  in  the  instant  emancipa 
tion  of  his  colored  retainer,  so  admirably  reproduced  in  the 
scene  with  Zebedee  Marvyn,  must  have  occurred  at  least 
as  early  as  1784,  as  will  soon  appear. 

Friends  of  Dr.  Stiles  also  felt  that  injustice  had  been 
done  that  worthy  and  philanthropic  divine,  in  representing 
him,  as  endeavoring  to  vindicate  slavery  as  "  a  dispensation 
for  giving  the  light  of  the  Gospel  to  the  Africans,"  for  at  a 


284  THE  LIFE  WORK   OF   THE   AUTHOR  OF 

date  prior  to  Hopkins'  manifesto,  he  had  made  a  vigorous 
protest  against  the  slave  trade.  Moreover  at  the  date  when 
the  story  must  have  been  laid,  Dr.  Stiles  had  for  twenty- 
five  years  ceased  to  be  a  resident  of  Newport. 

So  it  will  appear,  that  by  the  bringing  of  so  many 
events  forward  to  include  Aaron  Burr,  the  author  had 
much  belated  other  occurrences,  which  have  to  the 
literal  readers  a  far  greater  significance.  For  instance 
with  the  erroneous  impressions  received  above,  the  care 
less  reader  is  open  to  the  belief  that  Ehode  Island 
was  still  importing  slaves  as  late  as  1795.  It  had  abol 
ished  slavery  in  the  same  year  with  Connecticut,  viz: 
1784. 

The  uncomplimentary  fact,  that  the  average  reader  does 
not  pause  to  make  these  reflections,  or  perceive  the  ana 
chronisms,  does  not  absolve  an  author  from  responsibility. 
Much  discussion  would  have  been  saved  if  Mrs.  Stowe  had 
received  a  clearer  view  of  the  essential  bearings  of  her 
tale,  and,  preferring  to  displace  events  which  from  child 
ish  reminiscence  were  specially  familiar  to  her,  brought 
Aaron  Burr  to  life  a  quarter  of  a  century  earlier.  Fewer 
critics  would  have  been  interested  to  disprove  his  date. 
Her  desire  to  introduce  this  brilliant  villain  as  a  foil  to 
good  Dr.  Hopkins  and  handsome  James  Marvyn,  while 
evincing  the  novelist's  dramatic  instinct,  seems  indeed 
to  have  led  her  into  a  coil  with  many  distinguished 
critics. 

The  introduction  of  Aaron  Burr  was  a  daring  thing,  but 
how  vividly  interesting,  the  memories  of  readers  who  then 
for  the  first  time  realized  his  personality,  will  prove.  It 
has  been  deprecated  that  Mrs.  Stowe  did  not  sufficiently 


UNCLE   TOM'S  CABIN.  285 

hold  him  up  to  detestation,  and  it  has  been  charged  that 
she  was  not  capable  of  understanding  the  true  import  of 
a  love  affair  between  him  and  the  young  wife  of  a  French 
fellow-officer.  Her  belief  in  the  good  impulses  which  yet 
remained  to  the  grandson  of  the  great  divine,  Edwards,  and 
her  faith  in  womanhood,  even  when  petted  and  unsupported 
by  stern  principles,  are  surely  not  to  be  regretted  by  any 
who  desire  to  think  well  of  human  nature. 

The  interest  of  "The  Minister's  Wooing,"  to  a  thought 
ful  reader  lies  not  so  much  in  the  external  events  of  the 
story,  as  in  the  wonderful  delineation  of  character  and  the 
metaphysical  history;  the  mental  and  spiritual  growth 
under  the  existing  theological  system,  strangely  distorted 
in  several  instances,  but  yet  holding  a  form  which  com 
mands  respect  while  it  moves  to  pity. 

This  was  a  far  more  difficult  task  than  writing  of  life 
under  negro  slavery.  In  "  Uncle  Tom's  Cabin  "  she  had 
only  to  go  from  one  section  of  the  United  States  to  another ; 
only  to  eliminate  distance.  In  "  The  Minister's  "Wooing  " 
she  had  to  take  her  readers  backward  three  quarters  of  a 
century,  to  roll  back  the  years  and  see  and  show  what  had 
been.  In  the  first,  it  was  only  necessary  to  examine  and 
investigate  an  existing  institution,  to  prove  the  truth  of  her 
words.  Writings  upon  a  past  age  had  to  be  proven  by  his 
torical  leavings,  and  those  moreover,  which  pertained  to  so 
evanescent  and  shifting  a  thing,  as  thought.  But  mental 
and  spiritual  impressions  remain  and  become  hereditary  pos 
sessions,  when  political  and  social  events  are  forgotten,  and 
"The  Minister's  Wooing"  was  generally  accepted,  as  con 
forming  in  all  essential  points  with  the  actual  conditions  of 


286  THE   LIFE   WORK   OF   THE   AUTHOR   OF 

religious  thought  in  New  England  one  hundred  years  ago. 
"The  Minister's  Wooing''  was  published  in  London  in 
parts,  simultaneously  with  its  appearance  in  the  Atlantic 
Monthly.  It  was  issued  by  Phillips,  Sampson  &  Co.,  in 
book  form  in  October,  1859,  two  months  previous  to  its 
completion  in  the  magazine.  It  was  also  published  by 
Sampson,  Low  &  Co.,  in  London  at  the  same  date  and  up 
to  March,  1869,  a  little  more  than  ten  years,  had  sold  fifty 
thousand  copies.  It  was  re-published  by  Tauchnitz  in 
Leipsic,  having  a  very  large  sale  in  the  German. 

James  Eussell  Lowell  in  introducing  it  to  the  public  said, 
"  Already  there  have  been  scenes  in  '  The  Minister's  Woo 
ing  '  that  in  their  lowness  of  tone  and  quiet  truth,  contrast 
as  charmingly  with  the  timid  vagueness  of  the  modern  school 
of  novel  writers  as  *  The  Vicar  of  Wakefield7  itself;  and  we 
are  greatly  mistaken  if  it  do  not  prove  to  be  the  most  char 
acteristic  of  Mrs.  Stowe's  works  and  that  on  which  her  fame 
will  chiefly  rest  with  posterity." 

Archbishop  Whately  wrote  to  the  author  in  terms  of  the 
highest  praise,  not  only  pronouncing  it  her  greatest  literary 
achievement,  but  classing  it  among  the  most  powerful 
works  of  fiction  in  the  English  language. 

As  late  as  May,  in  1884,  Eight  Hon.  W.  E.  Gladstone, 
then  Prime  Minister  of  England,  wrote  to  Mrs.  Stowe  con 
cerning  "  The  Minister's  Wooing  "  : 

"Indisposition  rather  more  prolonged  than  usual  with 
me,  gave  me  an  opportunity  some  month  or  two  ago,  of 
recovering  a  few  of  my  literary  arrears.  It  was  only  then 
that  I  acquired  a  personal  acquaintance  with  the  beautiful 
and  noble  picture  of  Puritan  life,  which  in  that  work  you 
have  exhibited  upon  a  pattern  felicitous  beyond  example, 


UNCLE   TOM'S  CABIN.  287 

so  far  as  my  knowledge  goes.  I  really  know  not  among 
four  or  five  of  the  characters  (though  I  suppose  Mary 
ought  to  be  preferred  as  nearest  to  the  image  of  our  Sa 
viour)  to  which  to  give  the  crown." 


CHAPTEE  XIII. 

MBS.  STOWE  BECOMES  A  CONTRIBUTOR  TO  THE  INDEPENDENT. 
THE  HOMILETIC  POWER  OF  THE  SISTER  OF  HENRY  WARD 
BEECHER.  A  THIRD  TRIP  TO  EUROPE.  LETTERS  FROM 
ITALY.  HER  INTEREST  IN  FOREIGN  AFFAIRS  OF  STATE. 
RETURN  TO  AMERICA.  EARNEST  WORK  UPON  THE  POLITI 
CAL  CRISIS  OF  THE  UNITED  STATES.  A  NEW  NOVEL  IN  THE 
ATLANTIC  MONTHLY.  "AGNES  OF  SORRENTO."  LAID  IN 
ITALY  AT  THE  TIME  OF  THE  RENAISSANCE.  A  REVIEW  OF 
THE  CONDITION  OF  RELIGION,  OF  TEMPORAL  GOVERNMENT 
AND  PERFECTION  IN  ART.  THE  REIGN  OF  THE  BORGIAS. 
SCENES  IN  THE  ORANGE  GROVES  OF  SORRENTO.  CONVEN 
TUAL  EXISTENCE.  INFLUENCE  OF  THE  PICTURESQUE 
ROMAN  CATHOLIC  RELIGION  UPON  THE  PEOPLE.  JEROME 
SAVANOROLA.  PADRE  FRANCESCO,  A  MONK  WHO  WAS  YET 
A  MAN. 

In  1859  Mrs.  Stowe  became  a  contributor  to  The  Inde 
pendent,  which  was  under  the  editorship  of  her  brother,  the 
Kev.  Henry  Ward  Beecher.  To  this  weekly,  now  the  most 
popular  and  influential  religious  journal  in  the  United 
States,  Mrs.  Stowe  contributed  articles — more  strictly  speak 
ing — sermons,  upon  a  The  Higher  Christian  Life,"  which 
were  eloquent  and  full  of  vital  force,  evincing  a  mental 
power  which  showed  a  near  kinship  with  that  of  her  illus 
trious  brother. 

During  the  summer,  Mrs.  Stowe's  youngest  daughter 
was  married  to  Rev.  Charles  F.  Allen,  of  Boston,  a  young 
288 


UNCLE   TOM'S  CABIN.  289 

clergyman  of  strong  ritualistic  tendencies,  at  present  rector 
of  the  Church  of  the  Messiah,  in  that  city.  Dr.  Lyman 
Beecher,  then  nearly  eighty-four  years  of  age,  attended  the 
wedding.  He  was  hale  and  cheerful,  and  denied  losing  his 
memory,  saying  that  "like  his  son  Henry,  he  never  had 
any."  At  that  period  the  venerable  divine  used  occasion 
ally  to  preach  a  sermon,  proving  the  truth  of  Lord  Brough- 
ham's  favorite  quotation,  "  In  the  ashes  live  their  wonted 
fires." 

Mrs.  Stowe  went  to  Europe  later  in  the  season,  and  dur 
ing  the  next  eight  months  sent  a  series  of  foreign  letters, 
which  appeared  at  frequent  intervals  in  "  The  Independ 
ent."  These  it  is  needless  to  say  were  read  with  great  in 
terest  by  the  large  number  of  subscribers,  as  they  presented 
an  intelligent  discussion  of  affairs  abroad,  and  especially  in 
Italy.  She  wrote  from  Milan  in  October,  full  of  Italian 
enthusiasm.  She  devoted  much  space  to  descriptions  of 
churches,  and  discussed  with  vigor  the  political  question 
then  agitating  Europe,  upon  the  arrangement  of  the  Italian 
states,  and  the  balance  of  ecclesiastical  power.  It  was  at 
this  time  that  Mrs.  Browning,  who  ten  years  before  had 
viewed  the  struggle  of  the  Tuscans  for  liberty  from  "  Casa 
Guidi  Windows,"  was  writing  her  last  noble  and  generous 
themes,  many  of  which  were  upon  Italian  liberty ;  and  the 
two  remarkable,  English  speaking  women,  sympathized  in 
their  view  of  the  situation. 

Mrs.  Stowe,  always  in  favor  of  the  emancipation  of  men, 
wrote : 

"There  is  nothing  develops  a  man  like  a  vote.     It  changes 
him  from  an  animal  to  a  reasonable  creature,  and  this  voting  busi- 
19 


290  THE   LIFE   WORK   OF   THE   AUTHOR   OF 

ness  in  Italy  has  done  the  work  of  years  in  awakening  dormant 
minds  and  making  men  out  of  clods." 

Mrs.  Stowe  and  her  sister  and  daughters  visited  Hercu- 
laneum  and  Pompeii,  and  spent  some  months  in  Rome, 
where  she  heartily  enjoyed  small  housekeeping.  They 
were  the  recipients  of  much  attention  from  prominent  per 
sons,  and  Mrs.  Stowe  met  many  painters,  sculptors,  and 
literary  people  of  note.  She  was  found  to  be  no  less  inter 
esting  in  conversation  than  in  writing,  arid  various  narra 
tions  and  descriptions  which  she  gave  to  small  companies, 
of  the  peculiarities  of  negro  life,  or  New  England  character, 
made  a  very  delightful  sensation,  and  Mrs.  Stowe  was 
more  than  ever  beseiged  with  invitations  and  honors. 

Soon  after  her  return  in  the  summer  of  1860,  Mrs.  Stowe 
contributed  to  "  The  Independent "  an  article  on  the  recent 
visit  to  the  United  States  of  the  Prince  of  Wales.  It  was 
full  of  her  kind  feeling  towards  England,  as  will  be  seen 
from  an  extract. 

"  It  is  not  merely  the  generous  and  kindly  boy  in  the  kindliest 
and  most  interesting  period  of  opening  life  ;  but  it  is  an  embodi 
ment,  in  boy's  form  of  a  glorious,  related  nation,  of  whose  near 
kindred  America  has  every  reason  to  be  proud.  England  her 
self,  with  all  her  old  historic  honors,  with  garment  woven  in  mem- 
morial  threads  from  the  looms  of  Milton,  Spenser,  Bacon,  Shakes 
peare, — comes  modestly  walking  by  our  doors  in  the  form  of  a 
boy  just  in  the  fresh  morning  of  his  days, — modest,  simple, 
kindly,  the  good  son  of  a  good  wife  and  mother,  and  it  is  some 
thing  to  make  the  tear  start  to  see  how  quickly  the  American 
heart  felt  the  pulsation  of  relationship,  and  the  veneration  for  the 
dear  old  kindred  blood  of  fatherland,  and  the  proud  remembrance 


UNCLE  TOM'S  CABIN.  291 

of  centuries  of  united  Anglo  Saxon  history,  when  as  yet  the  tiny 
American  Oak  lay  a  hidden  germ  in  the  leafy  bosom  of  the  grand 
old  English  mother." 

In  1860,  when  the  political  situation  of  the  United  States 
had  become  alarming,  Mrs.  Stowe  wrote  for  "  The  Inde 
pendent"  several  articles  upon  the  crisis.  One  on  "The 
Church  and  the  Slave  Trade,"  which  was  full  of  fire. 
In  November,  after  the  election  of  Lincoln,  a  prophetic 
pason  called,  "What  God  hath  "Wrought,"  and  later  a 
discussion  of  "The  President's  Message,"  which  held  Bu 
chanan  up  to  public  view  in  no  enviable  light.  The  files 
of  "The  Independent "  also  show  various  poems  and  minor 
sketches  signed  by  the  author  of  "Uncle  Tom's  Cabin," 
of  which  "The  Deacon's  Dilemma,  or  the  Use  of  the  Beau 
tiful,"  is  an  example. 

With  the  beginning  of  Volume  Four  of  "  The  Atlantic 
Monthly,"  there  appeared  the  first  chapters  of  a  new  novel 
by  Mrs.  Stowe.  "Agnes  of  Sorrento "  was  planned  and 
largely  thought  out  during  Mrs.  Stowe's  second  visit  to 
Italy. 

This  romance  which  has  sometimes  been  hastily  dismissed 
by  the  critics  as  lacking  in  the  freedom  and  grace  which 
characterize  those  stories  of  Harriet  Beecher  Stowe  which 
are  laid  in  her  native  land,  is  doubtless  one  of  the  sweetest 
exotics  ever  transplanted  from  foreign  soil  and  selected 
from  past  ages.  It  was  written  in  the  enchanted  atmos 
phere  of  the  blue  Mediterranean,  amid  associations  rich, 
with  historical  reminiscence,  and  scenes  replete  with  visions 
of  the  past.  The  story  is  laid  in  Italy  at  the  interesting 
and  picturesque  period  known  as  the  renaissance. 


292  THE  LIFE   WORK   OF   THE    AUTHOR   OF 

It  was  an  age  of  awakening  intelligence  and  artistic 
glories;  when  the  greatest  possible  enthusiasm  was  mani 
fested  for  the  revived  literature  and  sculptured  marble  of 
Greece  and  Kome ;  when  Columbus  was  seeking  a  western 
passage  to  India ;  when  Cardinal  Bembo  was  writing  Latin 
essays ;  when  Ficino  was  teaching  the  philosophy  of  Plato ; 
when  music  had  become  a  written  language  and  gentlemen 
sang  and  played  upon  the  violin,  the  harp  and  the  flute.  The 
intelligence  and  culture  of  the  upper  classes  so  far  surpassed 
that  of  western  Europe,  that  it  was  obscured  as  under  a 
cloud.  Government  roads  traversed  the  mountain  ranges 
with  thoroughfares  as  level  and  hard  as  a  granite  floor. 

Lorenzo  de  Medici  was  the  patron  of  scholars  and  artists, 
and  Florence,  next  to  the  city  upon  the  banks  of  the  Tiber, 
whose  wonders  and  glories  have  never  been  exhausted,  was 
the  most  attractive  place  in  all  Europe.  It  was  at  the 
very  noon-tide  of  glory  in  Italian  art. 

Donatello,  he  of  the  sweet  and  cheerful  temper,  had 
shone  the  brightest  light  of  Italian  sculpture  and  gone  out, 
leaving  his  eminently  masculine  creations  in  marble  and 
bronze,  the  St.  George,  the  Hercules,  and  the  David,  as 
models  of  Christian  heroism  sustained  by  faith. 

Ghiberti  had  worked  out  his  exquisite  sense  of  beauty  in 
matchless  bas-reliefs. 

Leonardo  da  Vinci,  the  poet,  painter,  architect,  and  states 
man,  a  man  gloriously  rounded  in  his  sphere  of  faculties, 
and  Lorenzo,  and  Perugino,  had  lived  and  wrought,  and 
Verocchio,  made  grand  accomplishment  and  passed  away. 

The  Delia  Eobbias  had  bequeathed  to  the  world  the  un 
earthly  beauty  of  their  Madonnas  and  the  symmetrical 
forms  of  their  pottery.  Agostino  had  discovered  aesthetic 


UNCLE   TOM'S  CABIN.  298 

possibilities  in  terra  cotta  from  which  he  improvised  a 
Dew  charm,  and  the  hosts  of  unknown  artists  who  sought 
expression  of  feeling  in  pictured  forms,  had  left  their  hand 
work  everywhere.  Their  ideals,  transformed  into  marble 
were  drawn  upon  walls,  painted  upon  simple  shrines, 
running  in  countless  friezes,  looking  from  the  frescoes 
of  innumerable  cupolas  and  domes,  breathing  upon  a 
world  of  canvas  and  living  upon  wood  or  stone  ;  even 
upon  so  homely  a  surface  as  a  barrel  head,  where  Raphael 
in  his  eager  haste,  fastened  one  of  his  inspired  visions. 

Michael  Angelo,  a  young  man,  was  moulding  the  "Battle 
of  Hercules  with  the  Centaurs ;  "  and  Bramante  was  mak 
ing  plans  for  a  new  St.  Peters.  The  shadows  of  the  Middle 
Ages  were  fast  dispersing,  great  enterprises  had  been  com 
menced  and  manners  and  tastes  were  marked  with  a  refine 
ment  which  permeated  even  the  lowest  stratas  of  the  com 
mon  people. 

But  dry  rot  had  begun  in  high  places.  The  age  had  be 
gun  to  be  hideous  for  its  debaucheries,  its  murders  and  its 
disgraceful  levities,  cruel  tyrants  reigned  in  cities  and  ra 
pacious  priests  fattened  upon  the  credulity  of  the  people. 
Several  wicked  popes,  the  worst  of  which  was,  doubtless, 
Alexander  the  Sixth,  who  held  the  pontificate  when  this 
story  opens,  had  so  corrupted  the  religion  of  the  times,  that 
monks  peddled  indulgences  all  over  Europe. 

Many  monasteries,  which  at  an  earlier  period  had  been 
peopled  with  sublime  enthusiasts,  were  filled  with  gluttons 
and  sensualists ,  boys  were  elevated  to  episcopal  thrones  and 
the  sons  of  popes  made  cardinals  and  princes.  So  abhorrent 
had  the  sins  and  crimes  of  the  papal  and  municipal  gov 
ernment  become  to  conscientious  Christians,  that  families 


294  THE   LIFE   WORK   OF   THE   AUTHOR   OF 

abjured  the  church,  and  lived  apart,  in  peril  of  their  lives, 
after  their  estate  and  fortunes  had  been  confiscated.  An 
apathy  to  holy  things  had  come  over  the  nobility  and  a 
profound  superstition,  which  we,  considering  the  circum 
stances,  cannot  quite  agree  with  some  historians  in  pro 
nouncing  degrading,  held  the  common  people.  It  appears 
to  have  been  their  only  stay  and  comfort,  when  such  un 
bridled  license  and  unblushing  wickedness  reigned  over 
their  unconscious  heads. 

It  was  then  that  Savonarola,  the  incarnation  of  a  fervid, 
living,  piety,  the  fearless  and  untiring  denunciator  of  the 
personal  venialties  which  defamed  the  church  through  its 
dignitaries,  the  stern  gloomy  ascetic,  emaciated  with  fast 
ing  and  prayers,  preached  religion,  morality,  purification ; 
refusing  absolution  to  the  dying  Lorenzo  de  Medici,  who 
would  not  restore  the  liberties  which  he  and  his  family  had 
taken  away,  leaving  him  to  die  without  comfort.  Savon 
arola  was  a  patriot,  as  well  as  preacher,  who  persisted 
against  ex-communication,  and  passed  through  mortal  dan 
gers,  until  he  died  the  death  of  a  martyr.  As  Mrs.  Brown 
ing  beautifully  recounts  in  "  Casa  Guidi  Windows,"  the 
people  still  strew  with  violets  the  pavement  where  his  ashes 
fell, — and  says — 

"  I,  too,  should  desire, 
When  men  make  record,  with  the  flowers  they  strew 


To  cast  my  violets  with  as  reverent  care, 
And  prove  that  all  the  winters  which  have  snowed 
Cannot  snow  out  the  scent  from  stones  and  air, 
Of  a  sincere  man's  virtues."    • 

When   Agnes   of  Sorrento  is  first  brought  before   the 
reader,  Alexander  the  Sixth,  with  his  children,  Cassar  and 


UNCLE   TOM'S   CABIN".  295 

Lucrezia  Borgia,  whose  very  name  stands  for  execration  all 
over  the  civilized  world  to-day,  controlled  church  and  state 
at  Kome,  and  while  the  lovely  child  lived  on  her  innocent 
life  amid  the  groves  of  Sorrento,  untroubled  and  unimagin- 
ing  of  the  sins  of  the  world,  the  church  and  the  nation  were 
approaching  a  state  of  corruption,  which  for  a  time  threat 
ened  to  destroy  their  very  existence,  and  would  have  done 
so,  but  for  the  stratum  of  right  feeling  which  lay  beneath 
in  the  hearts  and  consciences  of  the  people.  This  saving 
element  is  admirably  set  forth  by  Mrs.  Stowe  who  never 
failed  to  recognize  the  virtues  of  true  religion,  in  purifying 
and  sweetening  the  lives  of  Christians,  however  hampered 
or  limited  it  may  have  been  by  canonical  forms,  official 
corruption  or  theological  bigotry. 

"Agnes  of  Sorrento"  is  begun  with  a  sunset  scene  near 
the  city  gateway,  over  which  presides  the  stone  figure  of  St. 
Antonio,  about  the  year  1490.  Beneath  the  arch,  where 
the  little  birds  flutter  and  chirp  and  take  all  manner  of 
small  liberties  with  the  old  brown  stone  saint,  sits  Agnes, 
selling  golden  oranges.  A  child  of  fifteen,  with  a  beautiful 
saintly  face,  yet  mature  in  womanly  beauty,  as  at  this  age 
are  the  daughters  of  the  warm  south  lands,  she  is  telling 
her  beads,  while  the  Ave  Maria  is  tolling  from  the  Cathe, 
dral  tower.  Her  grandmother,  a  woman  of  stern  aspect, 
and  strong  will  and  purpose,  whose  thoughts  are  more  upon 
the  practical  affairs  of  the  day's  trade,  than  upon  the  reli 
gious  plane  upon  which  the  child  so  devoutly  dwells,  looks 
up  from  her  mechanical  prayers  to  see  a  handsome 
cavalier  regarding  her  child  with  undisguised  admiration. 

When  the  wave  of  prayer,  which  has  bowed  every  head 
as  a  breeze  bends  the  nodding  grain,  has  passed  down  the. 


296  THE   LIFE   WORK   OF   THE   AUTHOR   OF 

street,  and,  with  the  ceasing  of  the  bell,  the  world  has  re 
sumed  its  business,  the  cavalier  speaks  to  Agnes,  ask 
ing  for  oranges.  He  impulsively  kisses  the  wondering 
maiden  upon  her  forehead  and  nothing  daunted  by  the 
fierce  denunciations  of  the  old  woman,  gives  the  pretty  de 
votee,  a  diamond  ring  from  his  finger,  asks  her  to  pray  for 
him,  and  walks  slowly  away. 

He  is  Agostino  Sarelli  a  scion  of  a  noble  family  who  has 
been  robbed  of  fortune,  family,  hope  and  all  that  life  holds 
dear,  by  the  treacherous  cruelty  of  Caesar  Borgia,  whom  the 
insane  affection  of  his  father,  Pope  Alexander  Sixth,  has 
made  a  cardinal,  and  placed  absolute  ruler  over  Kome. 

Sarelli  with  a  hundred  men,  not  one  of  whom  but  has 
lost  houses,  lands  or  friends  through  the  fiendish  rapacity 
of  Caesar  Borgia,  has  taken  refuge  in  the  fastnesses  of  the 
mountains,  and  they  are  called  robbers,  because  they  have 
gone  out  from  the  assembly  of  robbers,  that  they  may 
lead  honest  and  cleanly  lives  There  are  those  among 
them,  whose  wives  and  sisters  have  been  forced  into  the 
Borgia's  harem,  there  are  those,  whose  children  have  been 
tortured  before  their  eyes,  there  are  those,  who  have  seen 
their  fairest  and  dearest,  slaughtered  by  the  men  who  sit  in 
the  seat  of  the  Lord,  and  all  know  by  experience,  of  the 
private  life  of  the  men  who  make  the  Pontificate  infamous 
by  acts  that  revolt  the  conscience  of  even  that  licentious 
period,  and  make  a  sentiment  of  hatred  which  grows  into 
universal  execration  before  Alexander's  death. 

They  know  of  him  as  a  man  of  outrageous  sensuality,  of 
unbridled  lust,  of  versatile  diplomacy,  of  subtle  priesthood, 
who  controls  the  councils  of  kings,  who  chants  the  sacra 
mental  service  on  a  Koman  Easter  day,  in  a  manner  which 


297 

moves  the  listening  world.  They  know  that  he  is  inces 
tuous,  a  murderer  many  times  repeated,  a  buyer  of  the 
holiest  offices  of  the  church.  Is  there  not  a  current 
epigram  ;  "  Alexander  sells  the  keys,  the  altars,  Christ. 
Well,  he  bought  them ;  so  he  has  a  right  to  sell  them  ?  " 
He  is  "  more  evil  and  more  lucky  than  ever  for  many  ages, 
peradventure  had  been  any  pope  before." 

Naturally  the  respect  of  Sarelli's  followers  for  the  edicts 
of  the  church,  as  issuing  from  such  a  vessel,  is  small.  Ex 
communication  has  no  terrors  for  them.  They  glory  in 
rebellion  against  the  men  whom  they  know  are  emissaries 
not  of  the  Lord,  but  of  the  devil. 

But  the  beauty  of  the  town  of  Sorrento  upon  its  elevated 
plateau,  running  even  to  the  sunny  waters  of  the  Mediter 
ranean,  the  perfumed  air  blowing  coolly  through  the  orange 
groves  which  nestle  in  the  valley  within  sight  of  the  moun 
tains,  a  land  where  flowers  and  perfume,  and  out  of  door 
life,  and  sunshine  and  physical  beauty  are  the  rule  and  not 
the  exception !  Where  also  dwells  a  native  grace  and  cour 
tesy,  and  an  easy  expression  of  sentiment  which  has  blos 
somed  forth  in  art,  in  music,  in  melodious  speech,  in  gen 
tleness  of  manners!  A  sharp  contrast  indeed  is  it  to  the 
ragged  New  England  coast  and  inclement  weather  of  the 
northeastern  climate,  to  the  stern  and  angular  aspect  of 
the  inhabitants,  to  the  inflexible  principles  which  in  the 
author's  native  atmosphere  governed  every  slightest  act, 
even  every  hidden  thought. 

Mrs.  Stowe  has  so  felt  the  languid  lovliness  of  Italy,  so 
warmed  and  expanded  in  feeling  under  its  climatic  and 
aesthetic  influences  that  the  reader  receives  a  sense  of  what 
she  has  seen,  and  is  permeated  with  the  atmosphere, 


298  THE   LIFE   WORK   OF   TEE   AUTHOR   OF 

receiving  through  her  art,  full  and  pleasurable  understand 
ing  of  the  situation. 

Dame  Elsie  who  loves  her  grandchild  with  a  fierce 
devotion,  fears  the  approach  of  any  change  which  may 
take  her  child  from  her,  and  of  late  has  become  ser 
iously  troubled  to  know  how  to  guide  her  existence. 
The  maiden,  in  her  saintly  innocence  and  naturally  religious 
character  inclines  toward  a  conventual  life.  Dame  Elsie 
would  fain  keep  her  for  herself,  a  living  pleasure  for  her  old 
age,  but  sees  that  a  good  marriage  is  perhaps  the  best  and 
safest  thing  for  so  lovely  and  artless  a  nature.  Agnes  is 
the  child  of  Dame  Elsie's  only  daughter,  who,  pretty  and 
intelligent,  had  been  the  maid  of  a  noble  mistress,  who  was 
seized  with  a  caprice  to  educate  her,  to  give  her  fine  ac 
complishments  and  bring  her  into  contact  with  people  far 
above  her  social  station.  As  a  natural  result,  the  son  of 
the  patrician,  loved  his  mother's  companion,  and,  sincere  in 
his  love  as  few  young  men  of  the  period  under  such  cir 
cumstances  would  have  been,  he  secretly  married  her.  The 
birth  of  a  child  sent  the  unfortunate  young  wife  home  to 
sorrowing  Dame  Elsie,  in  disgrace,  and  the  impetuous  young 
husband,  into  at  least  temporary,  banishment. 

So  Elsie  has  reared  the  girl  with  fear,  and  sees  with  an 
guish  how  beautiful  she  grows,  and  that  her  native  refine 
ment  and  dainty  ways  are  almost  sure  to  attract  some  vul 
ture  in  human  form.  She,  therefore,  keeps  an  eagle  eye 
upon  the  maiden,  protecting  her  day  and  night  with  her 
presence,  or  upon  occasions,  sending  her  to  the  convent 
where  she  is  much  beloved  by  the  Sisters.  The  education 
of  Agnes  has  rendered  her  peculiarly  sensitive  to  all  reli 
gious  impressions  and  she  lives  in  an  unseen  world,  peopled 


UNCLE  TOM'S  CABIX.  29i) 

with  saints  and  fairies,  tricky  fauns,  dryads  and  elvesy 
dreaming  iii  a  devout  ecstacy  of  Heaven,  knowing  literally 
nothing  of  human  nature,  and  this  world. 

When,  therefore  at  evening,  after  meeting  the  cavalier  at 
her  stand  in  the  city,  she  hears  a  strange  weirdly  sweet, 
and  passionate  voice  singing  below  in  the  gorge  one  of  the 
most  charming  love  songs,  which  float  in  the  ken  of  the 
people,  rising  clear  and  unearthly  in  cadence,  to  the  cottage 
upon  the  hillside  where  she  sits,  Agnes  is  thrilled  with  a 
strange  emotion,  and  thoughts  of  the  stories  she  has  heard 
the  nuns  tell,  of  wandering  spirits  who  sing  mortals  away 
to  destruction.  But  Dame  Elsie  recognizes  the  voice  of 
cavalier,  and  with  her  eyes  gleaming  dagger  blades,  down 
into  the  gorge,  vigorously  sprinkles  the  parapet  with  holy 
water  and  leads  her  child  to  bed. 

Dame  Elsie  being  considerably  perturbed  by  the  serenade 
of  the  previous  evening,  resolves  to  go  to  confession  on  her 
way  to  town  and  tell  Father  Francesco  of  the  matter.  In 
the  description  of  the  monastery,  lately  under  the  pastoral 
care  of  a  jolly,  pleasure  loving  friar,  who  took  a  long  rope 
at  the  waist,  and  the  recent  very  trying  changes  which  the 
ascetic  Father  Francesco  had  inaugurated,  there  is  a  genre 
picture,  which  leaves  as  vivid  an  impression,  as  though 
each  rotund  monk  with  shaven  poll  and  sandalled  feet  stood 
upon  a  canvas  before  one.  The  brighter  side  of  conventual 
life  is  by  no  means  ignored.  It  is  shown  to  be  a  needed  shel 
ter  for  woman's  helplessness,  during  age  of  political  uncer 
tainty  and  revolution,  and  the  congenial  retreat  of  the  artist 
the  poet,  and  the  student.  The  man  devoted  to  ideas,  here 
found  leisure  undisturbed,  to  develop  them  under  the  conse 
crating  influences  of  religion.  But  the  author  also  humor- 


300  THE  LIFE  WOKK   OF   THE   AUTHOR  OF 

ously  depicts  a  conventual  life  of  far  less  elevating  and  re 
fined  order. 

"  The  convent  of  which  we  speak  had  been  for  some  years  under 
the  lenient  rule  of  the  jolly  Brother  Girolamo, — an  easy,  wide 
spread,  loosely  organized  body,  whose  views  of  the  purpose  of 
human  existence  were  decidedly  Anacreontic.  Fasts  he  abomi 
nated, — night-prayers  he  found  unfavorable  to  his  constitution  ; 
but  he  was  a  judge  of  olives  and  good  wine,  and  often  threw  out 
valuable  hints  in  his  pastoral  visits  on  the  cooking  of  maccaroni, 
for  which  he  had  himself  elaborated  a  savory  recipe  ;  and  the  cel 
lar  and  larder  of  the  convent,  during  his  pastorate,  presented  so 
many  urgent  solicitations  to  conventual  repose,  as  to  threaten  an 
inconvenient  increase  in  the  number  of  brothers.  The  monk  in 
his  time  lounged  in  all  the  sunny  places  of  the  convent  like  so 
many  loose  sacks  of  meal,  enjoying  to  the  full  the  dolce  far  niente 
which  seems  to  be  the  universal  rule  of  Southern  climates.  They 
ate  and  drank  and  slept  and  snored ;  they  made  pastoral  visits 
through  the  surrounding  community  which  were  far  from  edifying  ; 
they  gambled,  and  tippled,  and  sang  most  unspiritual  songs ;  and 
keeping  all  the  while  their  own  private  pass-key  to  Paradise 
tucked  under  their  girdles,  were  about  as  jolly  a  set  of  sailors  to 
Eternity  as  the  world  had  to  show.  In  fact,  the  climate  of  South 
ern  Italy  and  its  gorgeous  scenery  are  more  favorable  to  voluptuous 
ecstasy  than  to  the  severe  and  grave  warfare  of  the  true  Christian 
soldier.  The  sunny  plains  of  Capua  demoralized  the  soldiers  of 
Hannibal,  and  it  was  not  without  a  reason  that  ancient  poets  made 
those  lovely  regions  the  abode  of  Sirens  whose  song  maddened  by 
its  sweetness,  and  of  a  Circe  who  made  men  drunk  with  her  sens 
ual  fascinations,  till  they  became  sunk  to  the  form  of  brutes. 

"  Here,  if  anywhere,  is  the  lotos-eater's  paradise, — the  purple 
skies,  the  enchanted  shores,  the  soothing  gales,  the  dreamy  mists, 
which  all  conspire  to  melt  the  energy  of  the  will,  and  to  make  ex- 


UNCLE   TOM'S   CABIN.  301 

istence  either  a  half  doze  of  dreamy  apathy  or  an  awaking  of  mad 
delirium. 

"It  was  not  from  dreamy,  voluptuous  Southern  Italy  that  the 
religious  progress  of  the  Italian  race  received  any  vigorous  impul 
ses.  These  came  from  more  northern  and  more  mountainous 
regions,  from  the  severe,  clear  heights  of  Florence,  Perugia,  and 
Assisi,  where  the  intellectual  and  the  moral  both  had  somewhat 
of  the  old  Etruscan  earnestness  and  gloom. 

"  One  may  easily  imagine  the  stupid  alarm  and  helpless  confu 
sion  of  these  easy-going  monks,  when  their  new  Superior  came 
down  among  them  hissing  with  a  white  heat  from  the  very  hottest 
furnace-fires  of  a  new  religious  experience,  burning  and  quivering 
with  the  errors  of  the  world  to  come — pale,  thin,  eager,  tremulous, 
and  yet  with  all  the  martial  vigor  of  the  former  warrior,  and  all 
the  habits  of  command  of  a  former  princely  station.  His  reforms 
gave  no  quarter  to  right  or  left ;  sleepy  monks  were  dragged 
out  to  midnight  prayers,  and  their  devotions  enlivened  with 
vivid  pictures  of  hell-fire  and  ingenuities  of  eternal  torment 
enough  to  stir  the  blood  of  the  most  torpid.  There  was  to  be  no 
more  gormandizing,  no  more  wine-bibbing ;  the  choice  old  wines 
were  placed  under  lock  and  key  for  the  use  of  the  sick  and  poor 
in  the  vicinity ;  and  every  fast  of  the  Church,  and  every  obsolete 
rule  of  the  order,  were  revived  with  unsparing  rigor.  It  is  true, 
they  hated  their  new  Superior  with  all  the  energy  which  laziness 
and  good  living  had  left  them,  but  they  every  soul  of  them  shook 
in  their  sandals  before  him ;  for  there  is  a  true  and  established 
order  of  mastery  among  human  beings,  and  when  a  man  of  en 
kindled  energy  and  intense  will  comes  among  a  flock  of  irresolute 
commonplace  individuals,  he  subjects  them  to  himself  by  a  sort  of 
moral  paralysis  similar  to  what  a  great,  vigorous  gymnotus  distrib 
utes  among  a  fry  of  inferior  fishes.  The  bolder  ones,  who  made 
motions  of  rebellion,  were  so  energetically  swooped  upon,  and  con 
signed  to  the  discipline  of  dungeon  and  bread-and-water,  that  less 


302  THE  LIFE   WOKK   OF   THE   AUTHOR   OF 

courageous  natures  made  a  merit  of  siding  with  the  more  powerful 
party,  mentally  resolving  to  carry  by  fraud  the^points  which  they 
despaired  of  accomplishing  by  force." 

It  is  an  example  delicious  in  its  realism,  of  a  condition 
which  the  license  of  the  period  permitted,  with  the  unpop 
ular  reforms  and  pious  inflictions  brought  about  by  a  sternly 
conscientious  Prior.  The  character  of  II  Padre  Francesco 
however,  is  one  to  be  remembered  with  respect  and  pity. 
The  wave  of  a  great  religious  impulse — which  in  these 
times  would  be  called  a  revival,  had  swept  him,  with  many- 
others  within  the  fold  of  the  church. 

It  was  the  fervid  preaching  of  Jerome  Savanorola  which 
had  broken  his  heart,  with  the  multitudes  of  those  who  had 
wept,  beaten  their  breasts  and  trembled  under  his  awful 
denunciations.  The  analysis  of  his  change  from  the  gay 
dissolute  young  Lorenzo  Sforza  who,  in  rites  of  awful  so 
lemnity  died  to  carnal  life,  and  arose  spiritualized  from  the 
coffin  in  which  he  had  laid  ;  the  mental  and  spiritual  experi 
ences  of  the  reconstructed  man,  in  whom  however  in  spite 
of  all,  the  old  Lorenzo  would  occasionally  revive,  is  a  mas 
terpiece  of  expression.  The  daughter  of  the  New  England 
divine  had  need  to  think  and  feel  much,  to  come  out  from 
her  own  conditions  and  enter  into  those  of  olden  times  and 
a  foreign  country,  before  she  could  set  forth  such  a  life. 
After  dwelling  at  some  length  upon  the  inner  life  of  Father 
Francesco,  the  author  thus  describes  the  influence  of  Agnes' 
pure  sweet  spirit  upon  the  haggard  soul  of  the  ascetic,  who 
thought  he  had  foresworn  women,  as  unworthy  companions. 

"  The  cloud  of  hopeless  melancholy  which  had  brooded  over  the 
mind  of  Father  Francesco  lifted  and  sailed  away,  he  know  not 


UNCLE  TOM'S  CABIN.  303 

why,  he  knew  not  when.  A  secret  joyfulness  and  alacrity  possessed 
his  spirits  ;  his  prayers  became  more  fervent  and  his  praises  more 
frequent.  Until  now,  his  meditations  had  been  most  frequently 
those  of  fear  and  wrath, — the  awful  majesty  of  God,  the  terrible 
punishment  of  sinners,  which  he  conceived  with  all  that  haggard, 
dreadful  sincerity  of  vigor  which  characterized  the  modern  Etrus 
can  phrase  of  religion  of  which  the  "  Inferno  "  of  Dante  was  the 
exponent  and  the  out-come.  His  preachings  and  his  exhortations 
had  dwelt  on  that  lurid  world  seen  by  the  severe  Florentine,  at 
whose  threshold  hope  forever  departs,  and  around  whose  eternal 
circles  of  living  torture  the  shivering  spirit  wanders  dismayed  and 
blasted  by  terror. 

"  He  had  been  shocked  and  discouraged  to  find  how  utterly  vain 
iad  been  his  most  intense  efforts  to  stem  the  course  of  sin  by  pre 
senting  these  images  of  terror  :  how  hard  natures  had  listened  to 
them  with  only  a  course  and  cruel  appetite,  which  seemed  to 
increase  their  hardness  and  brutality ;  and  how  timid  ones  had 
been  withered  by  them,  like  flowers  scorched  by  the  blast  of  a  fur 
nace  ;  how,  in  fact,  as  in  the  case  of  those  cruel  executions  and 
bloody  tortures  then  universal  in  the  juris-prudence  of  Europe, 
these  pictures  of  eternal  torture  seemed  to  exert  a  morbid  demor 
alizing  influence  which  hurried  on  the  growth  of  iniquity. 

"  But  since  his  acquaintance  with  Agnes,  without  his  knowing 
exactly  why,  thoughts  of  the  Divine  Love  had  floated  into  his 
soul,  filling  it  with  a  golden  cloud  like  that  of  old  rested  over  the 
mercy-seat  in  that  sacred  inner  temple  where  the  priests  was  admit 
ted  alone.  He  became  more  affable  and  tender,  more  tolerant  to 
the  erring,  more  fond  of  little  children  ;  would  stop  sometimes  to 
lay  his  hand  on  the  head  of  a  child,  or  to  raise  up  one  who  lay 
overthrown  in  the  street.  The  song  of  little  birds  and  voices  of 
animal  life  became  to  him  full  of  tenderness ;  and  his  prayers  by 
the  sick  and  dying  seemed  to  have  a  melting  power,  such  as  he 
had  never  known  before.  It  was  spring  in  his  soul, — soft,  Italian 


304  HE  LIFE   WOKE   OF   THE   AUTHOR  OF 

spring, — such  as  brings  out  the  musky  breath  of  the  cyclamen,  and 
the  faint,  tender  perfume  of  the  primrose,  in  every  moist  dell  of 
the  Apennines." 

In  the  confession  of  Dame  Elsie  he  receives  a  shock, 
which  throws  his  whole  being  into  a  passionate  agitation, 
which  astonishes  and  dismays  him.  He  finds,  alas  how 
shameful !  that  Elsie's  plans  for  marrying  Agnes  to  a  young 
peasant  are  scarcely  less  revolting  to  him  than  the  thought 
of  her  exposure  to  the  addresses  of  a  licentious  cavalier,  as 
these  people  had  hastily  decided  Sarelli  to  be.  Not  yet 
fully  understanding  his  frail  heart,  he  believes  that  he  ought 
to  use  his  influence  to  bring  Agnes  into  the  convent,  where 
as  member  of  the  pure  sisterhood  of  nuns  he  could  be  the 
guardian  and  director  of  her  soul,  the  one  to  whom  she 
should  be  implicitly  obedient  and  submissive. 


CHAPTER  XIY. 

AGNES  AT  THE  CONVENT.  A  SELECTION  WHICH  SHOWS  THE 
AUTHOR'S  FEELING  AGAINST  THE  SENTENCE  OF  UNMITI 
GATED  DOOM  WHICH  ACCOMPANIED  THE  GLAD  TIDINGS  OF 
SALVATION.  HER  APPRECIATION  OF  SOME  OF  THE  BEAU 
TIFUL  SENTIMENTS  OF  THE  EARLY  ROMAN  CATHOLIC  RELI 
GION.  FATHER  ANTONIO,  THE  ARTIST  MONK.  SAN  MAR 
CO.  SAVANOROLA'S  CONVICTION  THAT  THE  SONGS  OF  A 

PEOPLE  HAVE  MORE  PERSUASIVE  POWER  THAN  ITS  LAWS. 
AGNES  AND  OLD  ELSIE  MAKE  A  PILGRIMAGE  TO  ROME. 
SARELLl'S  MOUNTAIN  REFUGE.  RECEIVED  BY  A  PRINCESS. 
FALLING  INTO  THE  JAWS  OF  THE  PAPAL  MONSTER.  RES 
CUED  BY  SARELLI.  ROMANTIC  CONCLUSION. 

Agnes'  day  at  the  convent,  the  morning  walk  in  the  dew 
bespangled  path  upon  the  mountain  side,  her  affectionate 
reception  by  the  nuns,  the  moonlight  delicacy  of  person 
and  temperament  which  characterize  Mother  Theresa  and 
the  blunt  commonplaceness  of  Sister  Jocunda,  with  whom 
Agnes  spends  much  of  the  day,  hearing  tales  in  which  reli 
gious  and  heathenish  characters  figure  indiscriminately,  give 
a  view  of  the  inner  side  of  conventual  existence  which  pre 
sents  its  practical  realities  most  entertainingly.  The  terri 
ble  things  upon  which  old  Jocunda  gloats  with  a  grim  satis 
faction,  are  agonizing  to  the  sensitive  soul  of  little  Agnes, 
and  the  author  proceeds  to  discuss  the  severities  of  the 
Catholic  religion  of  the  fifteenth  century  as  painful  in  the 
extreme.  As  painful,  were  the  metaphysical  hair  split- 
20  305 


306  THE   LIFE  WORK  OF  THE  AUTHOR  OF 

ting  refinements  of  Calvinistic  torture,  as  digested  and 
exaggerated  by  skilful  and  morbid  theologians  of 
three  hundred  years  later,  to  the  spirits  gf  such  persons  as 
Mrs.  Marvyn  in  "  The  Minister's  Wooing."  The  following 
selection  gives  abundant  example  of  the  feeling  that  Mrs. 
Stowe  entertained  towards  the  sentence  of  unmitigated 
doom  which  accompanied  the  glad  tidings  of  salvation. 

"  Ages  before,  beneath  those  very  skies  that  smiled  so  sweetly 
over  her, — amid  the  bloom  of  lemon  and  citron,  and  the  perfume 
of  Jasmine  and  rose,  the  gentlest  of  old  Italian  souls  had  dreamed 
and  wondered  what  might  be  the  unknown  future  of  the  dead,  and, 
learning  his  lesson  from  the  glorious  skies  and  gorgeous  shores 
which  witnessed  how  magnificent  a  Being  had  given  existence  to 
man,  had  recorded  his  hopes  of  man's  future  in  the  words — Aut 
beatus,  aut  nihil ;  but,  singular  to  tell,  the  religion  which  brought, 
with  it  all  human  tenderness  and  pities, — the  hospital  for  the  sick, 
the  refuge  for  the  orphan,  the  enfranchisement  of  the  slave, — this 
religion  brought  also  the  news  of  the  eternal,  hopeless,  living  tor 
ture  of  the  great  majority  of  mankind  past  and  present.  Tender 
spirits,  like  those  of  Dante,  carried  this  awful  mystery  as  a  secret 
and  unexplained  anguish  ;  saints  wrestled  with  God  and  wept  over  it ; 
but  still  the  awful  fact  remained,  spite  of  Church  and  sacrament, 
that  the  gospel  was  in  effect,  to  the  majority  of  the  human  race, 
not  the  glad  tidings  of  salvation,  but  the  sentence  of  unmitigable 
doom. 

"  The  present  traveler  in  Italy  sees  with  disgust  the  dim  and 
faded  frescoes  in  which  this  doom  is  portrayed  in  all  its  varied 
refinements  of  torture  ;  and  the  vivid  Italian  mind  ran  riot  in  these 
lurid  fields,  and  every  monk  who  wanted  to  move  his  audience  was 
in  his  small  way  a  Dante.  The  poet  and  the  artist  gave  only  the 
highest  form  of  the  ideas  of  their  day,  and  he  who  cannot  read  the 
"  Inferno "  with  firm  nerves  may  ask  what  the  same  representa- 


UNCLE   TOM'S  CABIN.  307 

tions  were  likely  to  have  been  in  the  grasp  of  coarse  and  common 
minds. 

"  The  first  teachers  of  Christianity  in  Italy  read  the  Gospels  by 
the  light  of  those  fiendish  fires  which  consumed  their  fellows. 
Daily  made  familiar  with  the  scorching,  the  searing,  the  racking, 
the  develish  ingenuities  of  torture,  they  transferred  them  to  the 
future  hell  of  the  torturers.  The  sentiment  within  us  which 
asserts  eternal  justice  and  retribution  was  stimulated  to  a  kind  of 
madness  by  that  first  baptism  of  fire  and  blood,  and  expanded  the 
simple  and  grave  warnings  of  the  gospel  into  a  lurid  poetry  of 
physical  torture.  Hence,  while  Christianity  brought  multiplied 
forms  of  mercy  into  the  world,  it  failed  for  many  centuries  to 
humanize  the  savage  forms  of  justice;  and  rack  and  wheel,  fire  and 
fagot  were  the  modes  by  which  human  justice  was  supposed  to  ex 
tend  through  eternity." 

Yet  in  the  next  selection  is  demonstrated  what  was 
Harriet  Beecher  Stowe's  comprehension  and  appreciation 
of  some  of  the  beautiful  sentiments  of  the  early  Roman 
Catholic  religion.  It  is  certain  that  she  never  underrated  its 
benificent  influence  upon  those  who  embraced  it  in  its  purity, 
and  acted  it  in  their  lives. 

"  To  the  mind  of  the  really  spiritual  Christian  of  those  ages  the 
air  of  this  lower  world  was  not  as  it  is  to  us,  in  spite  of  our  nomi 
nal  faith  in  the  Bible,  a  blank,  empty  space  from  which  all  spiri 
tual  sympathy  and  life  have  fled,  but,  like  the  atmosphere  with 
which  Raphael  has  surrounded  the  Sistine  Madonna,  it  was  full  of 
sympathizing  faces,  a  great  "  cloud  of  witnesses."  The  holy  dead 
were  not  gone  from  earth ;  the  Church  visible  and  invisible  were 
in  close,  loving,  and  constant  sympathy, — still  loving,  praying, 
and  watching  together,  though  with  a  veil  between. 

"  It  was  at  first  with  no  idolatrous  intention  that  the  prayers  of 


308  THE  LIFE  WORK   OF   THE   AUTHOR   OF 

the  holy  dead  were  invoked  in  acts  of  worship.  Their  prayers 
were  asked  simply  because  they  were  felt  to  be  as  really  present 
with  their  former  friends  and  as  truly  sympathetic  as  if  no  veil  of 
silence  had  fallen  between.  In  time  this  simple  belief  had  its- 
intemperate  and  idolatrous  exaggerations, — the  Italian  soil  always 
seeming  to  have  a  fiery  and  volcanic  forcing  power,  by  which 
religious  ideas  overblossomed  themselves,  and  grew  wild  and  rag 
ged  with  too  much  enthusiasm ;  and,  as  often  happens  with  friends 
on  earth,  these  too  much  loved  and  revered  invisible  friends  became 
eclipsing  screens  instead  of  transmitting  mediums  of  God's  light 
to  the  soul. 

"  Yet  we  can  see  in  the  hymns  of  Savonarola,  who  perfectly 
represented  the  attitude  of  the  highest  Christian  of  those  times, 
how  perfect  might  be  the  love  and  veneration  for  departed  saints 
without  lapsing  into  idolatry,  and  with  what  an  atmosphere  of 
warmth  and  glory  the  true  belief  of  the  unity  of  the  Church,  visible 
and  invisible,  could  inspire  an  elevated  soul  amid  the  discourage 
ments  of  an  unbelieving  and  gainsaying  world." 

The  advent  of  Father  Antonio,  the  brother  of  old  Elsie,, 
who  is  an  artist-monk  from  the  convent  of  San  Marco  in 
Florence,  where  religion  was  devout,  poetic,  and  elevating 
under  the  ministrations  of  Savonarola,  whom  all  his  followers 
adored ;  a  visitor  from  the  retreat  which  was  recognized  as 
an  ideal  community  where  religion,  beauty  and  utility  were 
wonderfully  blended,  is  an  epoch  to  the  reader,  as  well  as 
to  Elsie,  who  is  troubled  about  her  child's  future,  and  to 
Agnes,  who  welcomed  with  her  uncle,  pleasant  hours  of 
social  converse,  and  a  sight  of  rare  pictures.  For  he  made 
his  drawings  by  the  way,  and  finished  them  in  the  garden 
by  her  side,  replacing  the  voluptuous  and  unworthy  sketches 
which  defaced  many  a  shrine,  with  visions  of  saintly  purity 
and  grace. 


UNCLE   TOM'S   CABIN.  309 

He  was  called  into  counsel  concerning  Agues,  and  made 
lier  confidant  when  Elsie  had  gone  into  town  with  her 
oranges,  leaving  them  two  with  a  long  glorious  day 
together., 

Agnes  had  found  in  her  path,  a  locket  set  with  precious 
stones,  which  contained  upon  a  bit  of  crumpled  parchment 
a  sonnet,  breathing  pure  love  for  her,  and  became  more  and 
more  agitated  by  the  strange  urgency  of  her  desire  to 
pray  for  and  save  the  gallant  cavalier  from  perdition, 
whence  she  was  assured  that  he  was  swiftly  sliding,  hav 
ing  been  banished  from  the  church  and  made  an  outlaw 
by  his  own  volition.  While  Father  Antonio  sits  in  the 
groves  and  singing  Latin  hymns  and  painting  exquisite 
flowers  and  chubby  cherubim,  old  Elsie  raises  the  large  bas 
ket  of  oranges  to  her  head  and  turns  her  stately  figure 
towards  the  scene  of  her  daily  labors. 

Dear  uncle  Antonio  opens  his  portfolio  and  seats  himself 
upon  the  garden  wall  to  retouch  some  of  his  sketches  and 
Agnes  places  herself  cosily  by  his  side  for  a  long  chat. 
But  the  good  man  is  called  away,  to  minister  at  the  bedside 
of  a  dying  man,  and  Agnes  betakes  herself  to  prayers  for 
the  passing  soul.  When  she  raises  her  head  from  her 
devotions  she  sees  the  cavalier,  waiting  patiently  near  the 
shrine,  and  the  long  sought  interview  is  accorded  him. 
He  is  received  by  the  devout  maiden  as  one  who  not 
strangely  craves  her  intercessions  with  the  saints,  for  his 
spiritual  welfare.  When  Father  Antonio  returns  Agnes  is 
still  on  her  knees,  and  old  Elsie,  arriving  home  an  hour 
later,  observes  with  satisfaction  that  she  has  effectually  con 
vinced  the  cavalier  that  he  is  not  wanted  about  her  orange 
stand,  that  he  has  not  been  seen  in  the  vicinity  that  dzy\ 


310  THE  LIFE   WORK   OF   THE   AUTHOR   OF 

The  following  paragraph  presents  the  author's  thought 
about  the  simple  faith  of  the  young  girl  in  a  manner  which 
draws  the  sympathy  of  the  universal  heart  to  her. 

"  Brought  up  from  infancy  to  feel  herself  in  a  constant  circle  of 
invisible  spiritual  agencies,  Agnes  received  this  wave  of  intense 
feeling  as  an  impulse  inspired  and  breathed  into  her  by  some  celes 
tial  spirit,  that  thus  she  should  be  made  an  interceding  medium  for  a 
soul  in  some  unknown  strait  or  peril.  For  her  faith  taught  her  to 
believe  in  an  infinite  struggle  of  intercession,  in  which  all  the  Church, 
visible  and  invisible,  were  together  engaged,  and  which  bound 
them  in  living  bonds  of  sympathy  to  an  interceding  Redeemer,  so 
that  there  was  no  want  or  woe  of  human  life  that  had  not  some 
where  its  sympathetic  heart,  and  its  never-ceasing  prayer  before 
the  throne  of  Eternal  love.  Whatever  may  be  thought  of  the 
actual  truth  of  this  belief,  it  certainly  was  far  more  consoling  than 
that  intense  individualism  of  modern  philosophy  which  places 
every  soul  alone  in  its  life-battle, — scarce  even  giving  it  a  God  to 
lean  upon." 

In  discussing  the  religion  which  had  its  birth  in  the  life 
of  Christ,  but  was  shaped  in  outward  expression  in  this 
atmosphere  of  an  almost  tropical  fervor,  Mrs.  Stowe  finds 
the  reason  for  the  form  of  the  Roman  Catholic  faith.  She 
perceives  that  soil  and  climate  no  less  than  principles,  make 
religions.  That  the  same  precious  truths  which  blossom 
into  luxuriant  colors  and  fantastic  forms  in  the  soil  of  Italy, 
grow  sparse  and  thin  and  full  of  knots  and  angles,  in  the. 
land  which  the  Puritans  selected  as  their  refuge.  This  is 
natural,  physical  effect.  When  mind  rises  above  matter, 
and  intellect  and  culture  bring  all  countries  and  climes  into 
aesthetic  and  intellectual  harmony,  then,  perhaps  will  the 
spiritual  manifestations  of  the  same  grand  ideas,  be  similar 


UNCLE   TOM'S  CABIN. 

in  outward  expression.  Until  then,  the  author  of  Agnes 
of  Sorrento  felt,  that  cause  and  effect  should  be  realized, 
and  good  wherever  found,  greeted  with  pleasure. 

Harriet  Beecher  Stowe  had  no  capabilities  for  bigotry. 
She  knew  nothing  of  the  limitations  which,  as  has  been 
remarked  of  the  late  Matthew  Arnold,  were  "  an  essen 
tial  part  of  his  equipment  for  the  work  he  performed."  She 
needed  not  to  shut  out  the  light  of  day,  to  make  micro 
scopic  examinations  under  artificially  concentrated  rays. 
It  was  not  necessary  to  close  her  ears  to  the  hum  of  the 
world  to  receive  a  whispered  message  from  the  gods,  nor 
that  her  path  towards  a  point,  should  be  walled  up  on  either 
side.  She  walked  upon  a  broad  plain,  in  view  of  the  blue 
sky,  with  the  sunshine  upon  her,  hearing  the  singing  of  the 
birds,  feeling  a  delicious  kinship  with  mute  nature,  receiv 
ing  the  flutter  of  the  leaves  and  sweetness  of  flowers  as  a 
personal  caress,  conscious  of  the  great  Whole,  feeling  its 
throb  as  an  undercurrent  or  background  of  joy  and  holy 
certitude,  while  considering  the  manifestations  of  life,  the 
higher  ideals,  and  grosser  failings  of  humanity. 

When  Agnes  of  Sorrento  goes  to  her  Father  Confessor, 
it  becomes  apparent  that  men  are  often  weaker  than  their 
conscience,  and  that  the  physical  body  does  sadly  limit  the 
aspirations  of  the  pure  soul.  Father  Francesco  learns  that 
Sarelli  is  excommunicated  from  the  church  and  welcomes 
with  joy  his  power  to  turn  Agnes  from  him.  Even  when 
he  becomes  aware  of  his  own  love  for  her,  which  from  the 
nature  of  his  vows  is  for  him  a  sin,  he  desperately  swears  that 
he  will  love  her,  but  later  enters  upon  a  conflict  with  his 
carnal  nature,  a  harrowing  experience  which  is  set  forth 
with  marvellous  strength  and  feeling.  His  struggle  and 


312  THE   LIFE   WORK   OF   THE   AUTHOR  OF 

self-imposed  penance  of  three  days  and  nights  in  the 
mouth  of  the  crater  of  Vesuvius,  a  literal  foretaste  of  hell 
in  physical  and  mental  suffering,  has  a  lurid  picturesqueness 
and  intensity  of  feeling  which  is  rare  in  modern  writings. 

Hard  indeed  might  it  have  gone  with  the  love  of  Sarelli 
and  the  little  devotee,  had  not  the  cavalier  made  friends 
with  good  Father  Antonio.  He,  an  inmate  of  the  monas 
tery  of  San  Marco,  and  a  follower  of  Savonarola,  understood 
of  how  little  true  value  was  the  favor  of  the  Pope,  and  how 
small  consequence  was  the  excommunication  which  was 
freely  pronounced  against  any  whom  that  potentate  could 
not  bend  to  his  evil  designs.  But  it  was  difficult  to  explain 
the  condition  of  things  to  Agnes,  without  ruthlessly  destroy 
ing  her  beautiful  faith  in  the  whole  body  and  soul  of  the 
church,  and  he  bade  Sarelli  be  patient,  promising  to  be  his 
friend  when  occasion  permitted.  For  Agnes  had  acknowl 
edged  her  love  for  the  gallant  outlaw,  and  had  promised  to 
be  his  wife,  should  she  ever  marry  any  man,  which  she 
seemed  little  inclined  to  do.  In  the  meantime  Father 
Antonio  interceded  with  old  Elsie,  that  the  child  should  be 
left  free  from  agitation  for  a  time,  urging  that  the  arrange 
ments  for  the  marriage  of  Agnes  and  the  handsome,  bovine, 
peasant  lad,  which  she  and  old  Meta  had  begun,  should  be 
allowed  to  rest. 

Several  of  the  hymns,  which  Savonarola  desired  should 
supplant  the  obscene  and  ribald  songs  which  defiled  the 
morals  of  the  youth  of  the  period,  are  reproduced  in  all  the 
passionate  tenderness  of  the  Italian  words,  with  excellent 
translations  into  English,  upon  the  pages  of  this  story. 
The  great  reformer  well  realized  that  the  songs  of  a  nation 
have  more  persuasive  power  than  its  laws,  and  in  the 


UNCLE   TOM'S  CABIN.  313 

quaintness  and  purity  of  sentiment  shown  in  those  he  sup 
plied,  may  be  felt  the  animus  of  many  of  the  grand  hymns 
of  the  modern  Protestant  church. 

Father  Antonio  returns  to  Florence,  and  with  him,  riding 
over  the  summit  of  one  of  the  hills  which  overlooks  the 
city,  is  the  cavalier  who  has  accompanied  him  to  San 
Marco,  to  meet  Savonarola.  The  view  of  Florence,  lying 
like  a  gem  in  the  shelter  of  the  mountains,  is  a  charming 
one  and  their  subsequent  arrival  at  the  convent,  and  meet 
ing  with  Savonarola,  is  full  of  intense  interest  which  aug 
ments  and  reaches  a  dreadful  climax,  in  the  tale  of  the  at 
tack  upon  the  Cathedral,  and  the  death  of  several  devoted 
monks  who  defend  their  master  from  the  arrest,  which 
closely  preceded  his  death. 

Elsie  and  Agnes  have  been  advised  to  make  a  pilgrim 
age  to  Eome,  and  though  the  old  woman  is  filled  with  a 
dread  of  seeing  again,  the  city  wherein  occurred  her  daugh 
ter's  misfortune,  she  is  constrained  to  go  with  Agnes  to  the 
Holy  City.  She  has  an  undefined  fear  of  bringing  Agnes 
within  the  walls  of  the  city  which  had  seen  her  mother's 
disgrace,  but  the  commands  of  their  superiors  are  not  to  be 
disobeyed,  and  they  start  on  foot  for  their  long  and  trying 
journey.  It  means  days  and  weeks  over  rough  mountain 
passes,  in  deep,  solitary  valleys,  with  such  food  as  the  house 
holders  by  the  way  may  give  them>  with  possible,  nay, 
very  probable,  dangers  of  every  description. 

They  set  forth,  first  receiving  the  benisons  of  the  sisters 
at  the  convent,  and  take  their  way  along  the  road  from  Sor 
rento  to  Naples.  The  scene  with  the  shimmering  sea  upon 
the  one  hand  and  the  luxuriant  hillsides  teeming  with  rich 
ness  of  color  is  picturesque  with  an  almost  unearthly 


314  THE  LIFE   WORK   OF   THE   AUTHOR   OF 

charm.     They  are  fanned  by  soft  breezes  which  bear  upon 
their  wings  the  indescribable  odors  of  thousands  of  flowers. 
The  burnt  sides  of  old  Vesuvius  rise  high    above   them, 
streaked  with  changing  color  and  flashing  from  shadow  into 
brightness  under  the   passing  clouds.      It  is  like  an  en 
chanted  dream  to  Agnes  who  is  filled  with  an  overpower 
ing  sense  of  its  beauty  and  charm.     Old  Elsie  grumbles 
not  a  little  at  having  to  leave  home  at  a  time  when  the 
oranges  are  most  plentiful  and  sweet. 

Having  reached  Naples,  on  they  go  through  the  Pontine 
Marshes  where  Elsie,  recking  not  of  the  sealike  expanse 
which,  waving  with  lush  grasses  and  dotted  with  flowers 
presents  a  new  and  delightful  spectacle  to  her  child,  thinks 
only  of  malaria,  and  persuades  a  man  with  horses  to  carry 
them  some  miles  on  their  way.  This  is  deprecated  by  Ag 
nes  who  believes  in  making  the  pilgrimage  in  the  most 
arduous  manner,  but  the  old  woman  fears  illness  and  death, 
and  wishes  to  fare  on  as  rapidly  as  possible,  to  healthier 
places.  To  quote  the  words  of  the  author,  Elsie,  even  in 
the  course  of  a  religious  pilgrimage,  "in  common  with 
many  other  professing  Christians,  felt  that  going  to  Para 
dise  was  the  dismalest  of  alternatives — a  thing  to  be  staved 
off  as  long  as  possible." 

After  many  days  they  find  themselves  in  a  lonely  dell  at 
the  going  down  of  the  sun,  with  the  forbidding  sides  of 
a  steep  mountain  rising  before  them.  Agnes  is  very 
weary,  and  sinks  upon  the  earth  to  repeat  her  evening  prayer. 
Elsie  also  prays,  but  as  she  tells  her  beads  she  casts  a  cal 
culating  eye  at  the  village,  so  far  up  the  mountain  side,  and  is 
somewhat  alarmed  to  see  several  horsemen  approaching  them. 
They  draw  near  and  accost  the  old  woman,  saying  they  have 


315; 

come  to  help  them,  and  in  spite  of  her  emphatic  refusals, 
imperatively  raise  Agnes  to  a  place  upon  one  of  the  saddles 
when  Elsie  is  fain  to  follow.  Thus  they  are  carried  seven 
miles  up  the  crags  to  the  mountain  town. 

Arriving  at  the  settlement  they  stop  at  a  large  stone 
inclosure,  and  Agnes  shown  through  many  passages  into 
an  apartment  furnished  with  the  utmost  comfort,  and  lux 
ury  beyond  what  she  has  ever  dreamed.  Soon  a  strangely 
familiar  titter  is  heard,  and  Guiletta,  the  coquette  of 
Sorrento,  who  has  married  one  of  Sarelli's  men,  enters 
the  apartment.  She  informs  Agnes  that  her  grandmother 
is  quite  comfortable  and  enjoying  her  supper,  and  brings  her 
food.  Agnes  soon  finds  that  she  is  in  the  castle  of  the  cav 
alier,  who  has  heard  of  her  journey,  and  wishes  to  give  her 
a  period  of  rest  and  refreshment,  as  well  as  to  again  pre 
sent  his  claims  to  her  favor  as  a  lover. 

Agnes  sleeps  long  and  well,  and  is  waited  upon  the  next 
morning  by  Guiletta  who  enters,  fresh  and  blooming,  bearing 
a  tray,  with  breakfast.  Soon  after,  Agostino  Sarelli,  who 
has  ridden  hard  from  Florence  to  meet  her  whom  he  knows 
within  the  walls  of  his  fortress,  appears  to  Agnes.  He 
has  come  from  the  scenes  at  San  Marco  burning  with  in 
dignation  against  the  Pope  and  the  whole  hierarchy  then 
ruling  in  Eome,  his  sense  of  personal  wrong  having  been 
converted  into  a  fixed  principle  of  opposition.  He  feels  that 
the  time  has  come  to  show  to  Agnes  the  true  character  of 
the  men  she  is  "  beholding  through  the  mists  of  venera 
tion  arising  entirely  from  the  dewy  freshness  of  ignorant 
innocence." 

He  pleads  with  her  to  renounce  her  pilgrimage  and  remain 
within  his  protection ;  to  abandon  her  resolve  to  take  the 


316  THE  LIFE  WORK   OF   THE   AUTHOR  OF 

veil,  and  be  his  well  loved  wife.  But  the  maiden  remem 
bering  the  anathemas  of  Father  Francesco,  who  had  threat 
ened  perdition  not  only  to  her  but  also  to  Sarelli's  soul,  if  she 
should  listen  or  yield  to  his  entreaties,  refuses  to  hear,  and 
bidding  her  lover,  whom  she  loves,  farewell,  she  pursues  her 
way  to  Eoine,  she  is  carried  down  the  mountain  upon 
horseback,  as  is  also  her  grandmother,  who  ere  now  has  be 
gun  to  think  well  of  a  gallant  gentleman  who  can  so  nobly 
provide  for  the  comfort  of  his  guests.  At  last  they  came  to 
Kome,  and  enter  the  Holy  City  with  a  kind  of  exaltation 
in  which  is  mingled  a  great  humility  as  they  are  received 
with  ceremonials  due  to  holy  pilgrims,  and  a  Princess  takes 
them  to  her  home. 

The  Princess  bathes  Agnes'  feet  and  her  servant  attends 
them  with  kind  office  and  wholesome  food.  Agnes  imme 
diately  asks  how  she  can  gain  audience  with  the  Pope, 
as  she  has  much  upon  her  heart  she  wishes  to  lay  before 
the  man  whom  she  believed  to  be  Heaven's  representative 
upon  earth.  The  Princess  is  much  troubled  to  know  how 
to  answer  her,  as  she  and  her  family  had  long  been  too 
near  the  seat  of  power,  not  to  see  the  base  intrigues  by 
which  that  solemn  and  sacred  position  of  Head  of  the 
Christian  Church  had  been  debauched  and  traded  for,  as  a 
marketable  commodity. 

Elsie  and  Agnes  go  out  in  the  morning  to  witness  the 
most  magnificent  ceremonials  that  the  world  ever  saw, 
when  Alexander  Sixth  received  the  homage  of  the  kings  of 
many  nations  and  carried  through  with  unequalled  grace  and 
dignity,  the  pageantry  and  grandeur  of  ceremonies  which 
commemorated  the  humble  advent  of  Christ  into  Rome, 
centuries  before.  Agnes  is  marked  by  a  gay  young  man 


UNCLE   TOM'S  CABIN.  317 

who  belongs  to  the  Borgias'  suite,  and  an  hour  or  two  later 
she  is  summoned  to  appear  at  court,  whither  she  goes  in  a 
religious  ecstacy,  believing  her  prayers  have  thus  been  an 
swered.  Old  Elsie  is  left  in  an  agony  of  fear,  hardly  daring 
to  imagine  what  may  become  of  her  innocent  child.  When 
the  servant  of  the  good  Princess  Paulina,  who  has  come  to 
invite  Agnes  and  her  grandmother  again  to  her  villa,  is  in 
formed  of  her  summons  and  departure,  she  evinces  extreme 
distress  and  anxiety  as  to  the  fate  of  the  lovely  pilgrim, 
who  has  fallen  into  ruthless  hands. 

The  Princess  is  aroused  from  her  sleep  that  night,  by  the 
arrival  of  a  horseman,  and  Agostino  Sarelli  whom  she  rec 
ognizes  as  the  last  of  a  fallen  family  of  nobles,  asks  admission 
and  brings  the  pale  and  almost  lifeless  body  of  Agnes  within 
the  hospitable  portal  and  lays  it  upon  a  couch.  He  leads 
aside  the  lady  whom  he  knows  to  be  a  daughter  of  the 
Colonnas,  who  were  the  companions  of  his  family  in  misfor 
tune,  and  hurriedly  tells  her  how  he  has  rescued  Agnes  of 
Sorrento  from  the  very  jaws  of  the  monster. 

The  Princess  Paulina  has  that  day  learned  that  Agnes  is 
her  near  kinswoman,  a  Capuchin  monk  having  made  a  dy 
ing  confession  to  her,  that  he  had  united  her  brother  in 
marriage  to  the  daughter  of  old  Elsie,  years  before.  She 
had  sent  for  Agnes  only  to  find  her  gone,  and  welcomes  with 
inexpressible  joy,  her  rescuer  and  his  train.  Agnes  recov 
ers  from  the  deadly  shock  which  the  terrible  experience  has 
given  her,  and  as  soon  as  preparations  can  be  made,  the 
Princess  with  her  retainers  join  Sarelli's  band  and  together 
they  seek  safety  in  his  mountain  retreat.  The  death  of 
Savonarola  takes  place  about  this  time,  and  shortly  after, 
Father  Antonio  joins  his  friends  at  the  fortress  of  Agostino 


318  THE   LIFE   WORK   OF   THE   AUTHOR   OF 

Sarelli.  Princess  Paulina  acting  for  her  family,  quite  ap 
proves  of  Sarelli's  suit  for  Agnes,  and  Father  Antonio 
gives  the  maiden  such  excellent  counsel  that  she  accepts 
the  knight,  and  the  good  monk  unites  them  in  marriage. 

"  In  the  reign  of  Julius  II.,  the  banished  families  who  had  been 
plundered  by  the  Borgias  were  restored  to  their  rights  and  honors 
at  Rome ;  and  there  was  a  princess  of  the  house  of  Sarelli  then  at 
Rome,  whose  sanctity  of  life  and  manners  was  held  to  go  back  to 
the  traditions  of  primitive  Christianity,  so  that  she  was  renowned 
not  less  for  goodness  than  for  rank  and  beauty." 


CHAPTEE  XY. 
"THE  PEARL  OF  ORR'S  ISLAND."    SCENE  AT  HARPSWELL, 

MAINE,  AT  THE  BEGINNING  OF  THE  PRESENT  CENTURY. 
LIFE  UPON  THE  RUGGED  NEW  ENGLAND  COAST.  FLOTSAM 
AND  JETSAM.  EFFECT  OF  JEFFERSON'S  EMBARGO  OF  1807. 
THE  CHARACTER  OF  MR.  SEWELL  BASED  UPON  THE  PER 
SONALITY  OF  JOHN  P.  BRACE.  MRS.  STOWE'S  IMPROVE- 


AFFECTIONATE  AND  CHRISTIAN  ADDRESS  OF  THE  WOMEN 
OF  ENGLAND  TO  THE  WOMEN  OF  AMERICA.  DEATH  OF  DR. 
LYMAN  BEECHER.  MRS.  STOWE'S  ACCOUNT  OF  HIS  MENTAL 
CONDITION.  DYING  AS  AN  OLD  TREE  DIES  AT  THE  TOP 
FIRST.  "  SOJOURNER  TRUTH — THE  LIBYAN  SIBYL."  STORY'S 
STATUE,  MATERIALIZED  FROM  MRS.  STOWE'S  DESCRIPTION 
OF  THE  AFRICAN  PRIESTESS.  "  HOUSE  AND  HOME  PAPERS." 

DURING  the  latter  part  of  the  year  1860,  Mrs.  Stowe  was 
engaged  in  writing  a  story  which  appeared  in  "  The  Inde 
pendent."  It  was  another  serial,  called  "  The  Pearl  of  Orr's 
Island."  It  ran  through  the  greater  part  of  the  year,  being 
published  at  the  same  time,  in  London,  in  "  Cassell's  Illus 
trated  Family  Paper."  It  was  a  story  of  singular  pathos 
and  beauty,  representing  life  upon  the  rugged  coast  of  Maine, 
ninety  years  ago,  being  located  at  Harpswell,  about  eight 
een  miles  from  the  town  of  Brunswick,  where  Professor 
Stowe  was  settled  when  the  first  great  book  was  written. 

So  vividly  does  this  tale  picture  the  sad,  yet  attractive 
scenery  of  the  eastern  shore,  with  its  descriptions  of  the 

319 


320  THE    LIFE    WORK   OF    THE    AUTHOR    OF 

rocks  and  sands  and  pine  forests,  then  growing  almost  to 
the  water's  edge,  that  one  can  smell  the  salt  in  the  invig 
orating  breeze,  can  feel  the  heat  of  summer  as  it  rises  from 
the  gleaming  dunes  and  hear  the  lapping  of  waves  upon 
the  beach  and  the  roll  of  the  surf  against  the  castellated 
rocks  which  bound  the  indented  coast. 

Not  alone  do  her  pictures  of  sea  and  land  transport  the 
reader,  but  her  delineations  of  the  old  time,  purely  character 
istic,  limited  New  England  life,  send  a  thrill  of  satisfaction 
and  pleasure  through  the  consciousness  of  the  native  reader, 
which  amounts  to  ecstacy.  This  phase  of  American  life, 
with  the  influx  of  summer  visitors  and  the  encroachments 
of  travelers,  is  fast  becoming  merged  into  greater  scope 
and  culture,  and  losing  its  relation  to  the  soil.  Now  that 
the  good  old  fashion  of  New  England  life  seems  to  have 
become  a  thing  of  the  past,  it  is  a  frequent  matter  of  regret 
that  its  records  are  so  few.  One  of  the  greatest  bequests 
to  posterity  left  by  Harriet  Beecher  Stowe  is  her  reproduc 
tion  and  preservation  of  the  outward  and  spiritual  life  of 
the  descendants  of  the  Puritans.  What  was  real  of  the 
Puritans,  their  staunch  principles,  their  honesty,  homely 
kindness  and  practical  reason  endures,  and  will  endure  as 
long  as  the  history  of  the  locality  is  preserved,  and  here 
ditary  tendencies  influence  American  character.  Their 
mistakes  and  severities  drop  unregretted  into  forgetfulness. 
Only  loyal  pride  and  the  gratitude  of  those  to  whom  these 
appear  as  sacred  memories,  are  felt  for  the  life  and  its  de 
lineator. 

By  the  magic  of  her  graphic  power,  the  reader  finds  him 
self  in  the  wagon  which  goes  slowly  along  the  sandy  road 
below  the  town  of  Bath,  towards  "  Orr's  Island " 


UNCLE   TOM'S  CABIN.  321 

and  the  Kennebec,  which  winds  in  view  of  the  flashing 
water  upon  the  coast  of  the  State  of  Maine.  He  becomes 
instantly  acquainted  with  the  old  man  who  holds  the  reins 
over  the  sedate  horse,  and  admires  the  pure  beauty  of 
Naomi,  who  rides  with  her  father,  as  they  look  out  to  sea, 
now  roughened  and  angry  after  a  day's  storm,  for  the 
expected  vessel  which  brings  her  husband  home. 

He  sees  with  them  the  incoming  ship,  the  fatal  mistake  of 
the  Captain  who  takes  the  narrow  channel,  and  the  terrible 
dashing  of  the  vessel  upon  the  cruel  rocks,  where  it  soon 
splits  to  pieces  and  goes  down  before  their  eyes  ! 

This  story  of  the  homeward-bound  ship  going  down  in 
sight  of  home,  with  the  sailors  dressed  in  their  holiday 
clothes  in  anticipation  of  soon  greeting  their  sweethearts 
and  wives,  is  founded  upon  fact,  and  is  still  told  upon  the 
coast,  in  many  fishermen's  homes.  The  narration  of  the 
washing  ashore  of  the  dead  sailor  lad  who  had  been  Naomi's 
husband,  bedight  in  his  best  attire ;  the  view  of  the  body 
in  its  dripping  clothes  in  the  darkened  parlor  of  the  plain 
old  house,  of  the  ghastly  sound  of  the  salt  water,  which 
drops  from  his  dark  hair  upon  the  carpet ;  the  premature 
birth  of  the  young  widow's  child;  the  death  of  Naomi; 
the  grief  of  the  stricken  parents,  the  ceremonies  of  the 
funeral;  presents  a  singularly  sad  but  fascinating  exam 
ple  of  the  inexorable  cruelty  and  hardness  of  the  sea,  and 
the  ungraceful  lines  in  local  personality  and  character,  which 
seem  as  harsh,  and  unlovely. 

Zephaniah  Fennel,  "  a  chip  of  old  Maine — thrifty,  careful, 
shrewd,  honest,  God-fearing  and  carrying  an  instinctive 
knowledge  of  men  and  things  under  a  face  of  rustic  sim 
plicity  ;"  his  timid,  affectionate  wife  ;  Aunt  Eoxy  and  Aunt 
21 


322  THE   LIFE   WORK   OF  THE   AUTHOR   OF 

Euey,  the  seamstresses  and  general  factotums  who  received 
new-born  infants  into  their  capable  arms,  and  presided  over 
the  last  rites  of  the  dead ;  Captain  Kittredge,  dry  and  bent 
and  full  of  imaginative  sea  stories  and  sly  humor ;  bis  stern 
disciplinarian,  in  the  person  of  his  black-eyed,  fault-finding 
wife ;  the  dignified  and  scholarly  minister,  Mr.  Sewell,  and 
his  inquisitive,  chatty  sister,  are  all  native  New  England 
types,  formed  of  the  dry  soil,  bearing  fruits  of  usefulness, 
but  having  no  flowers  of  thought,  no  blossoms  of  culture, 
no  hint  of  luxuriance  in  their  growth. 

They  are  all  as  salutary,  as  invigorating,  as  the  salt  in 
the  air,  as  weather  beaten  as  the  dark  rocks,  as  ungraceful 
as  the  rough-barked  trees,  and  the  scrubby  savin  which 
grows  upon  the  arid  earth.  And  yet  there  is  in  tins  glimpse 
of  life,  a  pleasure  and  a  sort  of  pride  which  indeed  may  not 
obtain  with  children  of  warmer  zones,  or  the  rich  Western 
country,  but  which  braces  and  suits  one  who  claims  New 
England  blood,  as  does  the  inhospitable  brine  of  its  waters, 
and  the  sad  sighing  of  the  wind  through  its  strong  pines. 

The  child,  who  was  named  Mara  according  to  the  wish 
of  the  dying  mother  with  whom  the  Almighty  had  dealt 
so  bitterly,  lived  and  grew  into  a  winsome  child,  a  delicate, 
fairy-like  creature,  who  seemed  so  pure  a  thing  in  contrast 
from  the  rough,  practical  lives  and  aspects  of  the  place,  that 
they  called  her  the  Pearl  of  Orr's  Island. 

When  she  was  three  years  of  age,  there  came  another 
cruel  wreck  upon  the  immovable  rocks  of  the  iron-bound 
shore,  and  the  body  of  a  beautiful  woman,  with  a  living  child, 
a  handsome  Spanish  boy,  clasped  close  in  her  rigid  arms,  was 
washed  ashore.  He  was  taken  home  by  the  Fennels  and  be 
came  the  companion  of  little  Mara,  and  the  dashing,  head- 


UNCLE   TOM'S  CABIN.  323 

strong,  erratic  and  manly  hero  of  the  story.  The  story  of 
Mara's  devotion  to  her  adopted  brother  who  was  four  years 
her  elder,  his  boyish,  easy  acceptance  of  it,  his  selfish  schemes 
and  unknowing  harshness  to  the  little  heart  that  so  loved 
him,  is  a  pathetic  reproduction  of  what  the  author  may 
have  experienced  with  her  bright,  masterful  brothers.  It 
finds  corroboration  in  the  experience  of  many  loving  little 
women  and  an  interesting  literary  counterpart  in  George 
Eliot's  "  Mill  on  the  Floss,"  in  the  brave  self-effacement  of 
Maggie  for  love  of  her  brother. 

The  unrevealed  romance  which  is  indicated  in  the  emo 
tion  of  good  Mr.  Sewell,  who  recognizes  in  the  body  of  the 
beautiful  woman  which  floats  ashore,  one  who  has  been 
much  to  him,  and  his  subsequent  care  over  her  boy,  affords 
an  element  of  interest  above  his  position  as  the  tutor  of 
young  Moses  and  little  Mara.  An  interest,  foreign  indeed 
to  the  artistic  construction  of  the  novel,  but  nevertheless 
existing,  lies  in  the  fact  that  this  character  is  based  upon 
the  personality  of  John  P.  Brace,  under  whose  wise  and 
stimulating  tuition,  Harriet  Beecher  and  her  brothers  studied 
together.  Again  the  author  lays  herself  open  to  the  objec 
tion  of  a  champion  (quite  unneeded)  of  New  England  di 
vines,  by  making  Mr.  Sewell  a  bachelor,  but  the  novelist's 
license  permits  her  making  exceptions  to  the  general  rule 
which  was,  especially  among  ministers,  of  an  early  marriage. 

A  pleasing  element  is  introduced  in  the  matter  of  fact 
and  very  refreshing  person  of  Sally  Kittredge,  who  was 
a  childish  companion  of  Mara  and  in  later  years  ex 
hibited  some  delicious  coquetry  with  Master  Moses 
Fennel.  A  salient  point  of  the  story  is  reached  when 
Mara  is  about  thirteen  and  her  brother,  then  seventeen, 


324  THE   LIFE  WORK  OF   THE   AUTHOR   OF 

falls  into  pernicious  associations  and  is  sadly  misled  and 
tempted,  by  certain  bad  men  who  are  engaged  in  smug 
gling. 

This  locates  the  story  at  the  time  of  Jefferson's  em 
bargo  of  1807,  which  stopped  at  once  the  whole  coast  trade 
of  New  England,  condemned  her  thousands  of  ships  to  rot 
at  the  wharves  and  ruined  thousands  of  families.  As 
an  inevitable  result  of  weak  and  unworthy  legisla 
tion  and  the  prevalent  feeling  that  Congress  had  usurped 
authority,  in  annihilating  commerce,  which  it  was  only 
empowered  to  regulate,  there  was  induced  a  contempt  of 
law  which  had  a  strong  influence,  even  in  a  community 
noted  for  its  rigid  morality  and  respect  for  the  edicts  of  the 
government.  Vessels  were  constantly  fitted  out  which ,  in  de 
fiance  of  the  law,  ran  to  the  West  Indies  and  other  ports 
and  though  the  practice  was  punishable  as  smuggling,  it 
found  many  sympathizers  among  citizens  usually  submis 
sive  to  political  authority. 

The  practices  which  arose  from  this  condition  of  things 
were  of  course,  in  the  last  degree  demoralizing  to  the  com 
munity,  and  fatal  to  the  integrity  of  a  large  class  of  bold, 
enterprising  young  men,  who  naturally  turned  to  adven 
ture  and  felt  a  reckless  pride  in  a  life  which  combined 
excitement  with  a  partial  justification,  in  the  mind  of  the 
community. 

Moses  Fennel,  with  his  hot,  dark  Spanish  blood,  at  an 
age  when  the  restraints  of  home  began  to  be  irksome 
and  the  manly  sense  of  right  and  honor  had  not  quite  as 
serted  itself,  was  an  easy  prey  to  the  man  Atkinson  and  his 
accomplices,  with  whom  the  lad  indulged  in  many  an  orgie 
at  night,  by  a  lurid  fire  in  the  recesses  of  the  rocks,  eating 


UNCLE   TOM'S   CABIN.  325 

and  drinking,  taking  terrible  oaths  and  planning  dangerous 
projects.  One  night,  Mara  followed  her  brother  and  his  dis 
reputable  acquaintances  to  their  rendezvous,  and  crouching 
in  the  brush,  heard  things  that  froze  her  pure  soul  with 
horror  and  led  her  to  confide  her  trouble  to  good  Captain 
Kittredge  who,  while  secretly  sympathizing  with  the 
smugglers,  and  profiting  pecuniarily  by  their  trading  in 
foreign  ports,  drew  the  line  at  their  leading  away  the 
adopted  son  of  his  friend.  He  induced  Zephaniah  Fennel 
to  send  Moses  to  China  upon  a  long  voyage. 

The  author  had  boys  of  her  own,  the  elder  of  whom 
was  giving  her  deep  anxiety,  and  in  this  description  of  the 
handsome,  black  haired  boy  with  the  restless  temper  and 
rebellion  to  the  salutary  restraints  of  his  parents,  one  may 
read  between  the  lines  and  feel  the  ache  in  the  heart  of  the 
mother  who  penned  them. 

The  return  of  Moses,  grown  in  three  years  into  a  hand 
some  man,  his  animated  flirtation  with  lively  Sally  Kitt 
redge,  who  was  the  bosom  friend  of  Mara,  are  most  natur 
ally  depicted.  The  realistic  conversations  and  vivid  triv 
ialities  of  homely  existence  are  drawn  with  a  delicate 
touch  which  reminds  one  of  the  modern  school  of  novel 
ists  who  unfortunately  do  not  always  choose  so  worthy 
characters  about  which  to  group  these  details. 

Moses  and  Mara  at  last  find  their  love  for  each  other 
and  are  betrothed,  but  the  marriage  never  takes  place,  for 
the  "Pearl  of  Orr's  Island  "  is  too  frail  for  life  upon  the  harsh 
Eastern  coast,  and  fades  away  into  another  sphere,  just 
when  life  seems  brightest  and  fullest  of  promise.  Moses 
goes  away  to  sea  again,  but  after  some  years'  absence  comes 


326  THE  LIFE  WORK  OF  THE   AUTHOR   OF 

back,  and  finding  Sally  Kifctredge,  softened  and  grown  into 
an  attractive,  capable  womanhood,  marries  her. 

The  plot  is  slight  but  smoothly  finished  and  the  hand  of 
the  trained  writer  is  visible  in  its  construction.  The  beauty 
and  pathos  of  the  story  cannot  be  shown  in  an  outline,  but 
rather  rest  in  the  fine  descriptions,  character  drawing  and 
perceptions  of  the  moving  springs  of  the  restricted  lives, 
ninety  years  ago,  upon  the  northeastern  coast  line  of  New 
England.  It  may  be  pertinent  to  notice  here  that  while  much 
of  the  early  fervor  and  burning  force  of  Mrs.  Stowe's  first 
writing  had  cooled,  she  had  improved  in  no  inconsiderable 
•degree,  in  literary  form.  This  in  spite  of  the  fact,  that 
like  her  brother,  Henry  Ward  Beecher,  she  was  impa 
tient  of  the  slow  methods  of  literary  success.  She  was  un 
willing  to  remodel  or  polish  her  work,  did  not  receive  the 
suggestions  of  proof-readers  or  editors  with  gratitude,  and 
is  even  accused  of  having  shown  resentment  towards  some 
of  her  most  friendly  and  conscientious  precautionary  crit 
ics.  There  can  be  no  doubt  however,  that  the  high  stand 
ard  of  literary  excellence  demanded  by  her  publishers,  had 
a  potent  influence  upon  her  style  and  method. 

Her  slip-shod  manner  in  writing  was  a  sore  trial  to  those 
who  had  the  supervision  of  its  publication,  and  to  quote 
one  who  has  seen  many  of  her  original  manuscripts,  "  she 
was  one  of  the  most  careless  and  inaccurate  writers  exist 
ing.  Her  faults  were  deep,  structural,  going  to  the  founda 
tions  of  grammar,  and  she  seldom  punctuated  except  by 
dashes  which  might  signify  anything  or  nothing." 

The  critic's  task  was  no  sinecure,  for  the  rush  of  her 
thoughts  precluded  studied  effects,  and  a  certain  disregard 
for  artistic  method,  which  has  been  shown  in  various  in- 


UNCLE   TOM'S  CABIN.  327 

stances,  prevented  the  revision  and  re-toucliing  which  is 
necessary  to  finished  work.  But  she  was  "  born  under 
epistolary  stars,"  and  though  perhaps  not  in  literary  style, 
the  "  Pellucido  "  whom  good  Dr.  Watts  so  finely  describes, 
her  thoughts  were  positive,  and  easily  understood.  They 
were  put  with  a  homely  force  which  obtained  an  instant 
hearing  and  lodged  them  in  the  readers'  minds.  It  is  sig 
nificant  that  one  always  seizes  upon  the  thought  first,  and  it 
is  only  afterwards,  if  he  be  of  a  critical  spirit,  that  he  depre 
cates  some  faults  in  style.  She  was  acknowledged  to  be 
one  of  the  three  greatest  women  novelists — being  classed 
with  Charlotte  Bronte  and  George  Eliot — and  America's 
greatest  literary  woman.  Greatest  as  a  creator  of  dramatic 
scenes,  greatest  in  value  of  literary  work  done,  and  incom 
parably  so  in  results  achieved.  But  one  must  admit  that 
personal  characteristics,  such  as  impetuosity,  disregard  of 
modifying  causes,  and  careful  and  mature  revision  of  her 
work,  while  giving  us  something  of  greater  worth  than 
mere  artistic  finish,  prevented  her  from  being  the  best 
writer.  She  was  a  great  genius,  which  is  quite  a  different 
thing.  Correctness  of  style  would  not  have  made  "Uncle 
Tom's  Cabin,"  would  not  have  created  the  animus  of  "  The 
Minister's  Wooing."  But  how  marvellous  a  figure  in  lit 
erary  history  would  Harriet  Beecher  Stowe  have  been, 
could  she  also  have  been  cited  as  a  model  of  writing,  like 
Thackeray,  Irving,  or  Lydia  Maria  Child ! 

The  "Pearl  of  Orr's  Island  "  was  published  in  book  form 
in  1862  by  Ticknor  &  Fields, who  had  succeeded  to  Phillips, 
Sampson  &  Company.  They  published  about  the  same 
time,  June,  1862,  "Agnes  of  Sorrento,"  which  had  been 
running  in  the  Atlantic  from  May,  1861,  to  April,  1865. 


328  THE  LIFE   WORK  OF  THE   AUTHOR   OF 

When  the  war  had  been  raging  more  than  a  year  and  a 
half,  and  Americans  began  to  realize  that  the  issue  was 
serious  beyond  anything  that  had  at  first  appeared  to  the 
conflicting  parties,  when  there  came  calls  for  more  men, 
when  the  three  months'  volunteers  and  the  nine  months' 
men  had  returned  or  re-enlisted  for  "  three  years  or  the 
war,"  when  our  country  was  seen  by  the  interested  and 
sympathetic  circle  of  foreign  nations  to  be  in  mortal  dan 
ger,  then  the  women  of  the  United  States  came  to  the 
front.  They  put  away  their  tears  and  trembling,  they 
wrote  brave  letters  to  the  "boys  "  at  the  seat  of  war,  they 
crushed  down  their  agony  at  sight  of  their  dear  dead,  and 
sent  husbands  and  brothers  out  to  battle,  with  their  bles 
sing. 

They  became  a  great  moral  support,  as  well  as  the  min 
istering  angels  at  hospital  beds.  Their  tongues  and  pens 
urged  the  buying  of  American  products  that  our  crippled 
industries  should  be  supported ;  the  wearing  of  American 
goods  that  our  spindles  might  be  kept  whirring  even  while 
the  pangs  of  intestine  war  threatened  to  cramp  every  trade. 
True,  the  women  of  America  came  slowly  up  to  the  level 
of  the  time.  It  was  not  strange.  They  had  little  of  the 
excitement,  the  enthusiasm  which  comes  from  action.  They 
could  only  think  with  terrible  fear  of  the  loss  of  their 
brave  supporters.  They  had  still  to  learn  the  trying  les 
son  that  "  They  also  serve,  who  only  stand  and  wait." 

But  in  the  cutting  and  making  of  coats  and  garments,  in 
the  knitting  of  stockings  and  mittens,  in  the  shredding  of 
lint  and  the  tearing  and  rolling  of  bandages,  they  came 
through  their  first  paralyzing  timidity,  into  heroism,  into 
a  fire  of  clear,  steady  burning  patriotism  which  went  forth 


329 

in  inspiriting  currents  from  every  home,  from  every  farm 
house  and  mansion  and  tenement  room,  in  all  the  land 
where  there  was  a  good  woman.  They  could  not  finish 
the  war  with  their  needles,  nor  nurse  back  into  peace  the 
burning  enmity  of  fighting  brothers;  but  they  could  and 
did  exert  an  intellectual  and  spiritual  influence  which  was 
a  powerful  factor  in  events. 

With  many  other  Northerners  who  had  rejoiced  in  the 
sympathy  and  support  of  the  English  people  in  the  anti- 
slavery  movement,  Mrs.  Stowe  saw  with  almost  overpow 
ering  surprise,  that  the  sympathy  and  support  of  England 
was  now,  in  the  most  trying  hour,  given  to  the  slave-hold 
ers,  to  the  South  who  had  fired  the  first  gun,  and  main 
tained  its  fusilade  with  the  fierce  determination  to  perpet 
uate  and  extend  slavery  and — raise  cotton.  It  was  indeed 
difficult  to  believe  that  commercial  interests  could  in  Eng 
land,  act  as  they  had  for  so  many  years  in  this  country,  and 
rise  above  and  stifle  right  and  justice  ! 

Harriet  Beecher  Stowe  read  and  re-read  the  "  Affection 
ate  and  Christian  Address  of  Many  Thousands  of  Women 
of  Great  Britain  and  Ireland  to  their  Sisters,  the  Women 
of  the  United  States  of  America,"  saw  their  preamble, 
which  contained  glad  confession  of  a  common  origin,  a 
common  faith  and  a  common  cause,  read  their  urgent 
appeal  to  American  women  to  exert  their  influence  for  the 
speedy  abolition  of  slavery,  their  reference  to  "  God's  own 
law,"  their  confession  of  complicity  in  the  introduction  of 
slavery  into  American  shores,  and  their  entreaty  to  Amer 
ican  women  to  wipe  away  "our  common  crime  and  our 
common  dishonor." 

She  thought  of  the  great  meeting  at  Stafford  House,  not 


330  THE   LIFE   WORK   OF  THE   AUTHOR   OF 

ten  years  before,  and  held  in  her  hand  the  bracelet  of  links 
of  massive  gold,  which  the  most  beautiful  Duchess  in  Eng 
land  had  clasped  upon  her  wrist,  with  the  fervent  wish  that 
the  American  author  of  "Uncle  Tom's  Cabin"  might  soon 
be  able  to  inscribe  upon  its  remaining  links  the  date  of 
American  abolition.  She  turned  over  the  leaves  of  the  great 
testimonial,  holding  nearly  six  hundred  thousand  names, 
a  most  curious  collection,  commencing  at  the  very  steps  of 
the  throne,  numbering  thousands  of  titled  names  in  every 
style  of  autograph,  and  running  way  through  the  ranks  of 
the  intelligent  people  wherever  Britain  ruled,  and  also  from 
Paris  to  Jerusalem,  covering  an  area  vaster  than  any  over 
which  any  similar  document  had  ever  spread.  She  felt 
irresistibly  moved  to  make  a  counter  appeal  to  them,  in 
the  hour  of  America's  need — in  the  hour  when  it  became 
apparent  that  slavery  was  the  issue  of  the  war,  and  the  re 
public  could  only  be  maintained  by  making  every  man 
free. 

Her  "Reply,"  which  was  dated  Nov.  27th,  1862,  at 
Washington,  D.  C.,  whither  she  had  gone  to  attend  the 
solemn  religious  festival  which  took  place  there  on  Thanks 
giving  Day,  and  was  celebrated  by  more  than  a  thousand 
slaves,  recently  emancipated  by  Lincoln's  proclamation, 
was  addressed  to  a  score  or  more  of  the  distinguished 
women  who  had  signed  the  great  English  testimonial.  They 
were  Anna  Maria  Bedford  (Duchess  of  Bedford);  Olivia 
Cecilia  Cowley  (Countess  Cowley) ;  Constance  Grosvenor 
(Countess  Grosvenor);  Harriet  Sutherland  (Duchess  of 
Sutherland);  Elizabeth  Argyle  (Duchess  of  Argyle) , 
Elizabeth  Fortesque  (Countess  Fortesque) ;  Emily  Shaftes- 
bury,  (Countess  of  Shaftesbury) ;  Mary  Euthvan,  (Baron- 


UNCLE   TOM'S  CABIN.  331 

ess  Euthvan);  M.  A.  Milman  (Wife  of  Dean  of  St. 
Paul's);  K  Buxton  (Daugliter  of  Sir  Thomas  Fowell  Bux- 
ton) ;  Caroline  Amelia  Owen  (Wife  of  Professor  Owen) ; 
Mrs.  Charles  Windham,  C.  A.  Hatherton  (Baroness  Hath- 
erton) ;  Elizabeth  Ducie  (Countess  Dowager  of  Ducie) ; 
Cecilia  Parke  (Wife  of  Baron  Parke);  Mary  Ann  Challis 
(Wife  of  the  Lord  Mayor  of  London) ;  E.  Gordon  (Duchess 
Dowager  of  Gordon);  Anna  M.  L.  Melville  (Daughter  of 
Earl  of  Leven  and  Melville);  Georgiana  Ebrington  (Lady 
Ebrington);  A.  Hill  (Viscountess  Hill);  Mrs.  Cobat(Wife 
of  Bishop  Cobat  of  Jerusalem)  ;  E.  Palmerston  (Viscountess 
Palmerston),  and  others. 

Our  great  woman  began  her  "Keply"  by  quoting  to  the 
women  of  Great  Britain  their  "Affectionate  and  Christian 
Address "  of  nine  years  before.  Every  sentence  of  which 
was  an  intense  reflection  upon  the  position  of  England, 
towards  the  people  who  were  then  giving  their  heart's 
blood  to  free  the  slave. 

Mrs.  Stowe  replied  that  it  had  been  impossible  to  send  an 
answer  at  all  like  in  kind  to  the  ''Address,"  as  the  people 
who  welcomed  it  were  scattered  over  vast  territories,  and, 
possessed  of  the  spirit  which  led  to  the  efficient  action  then 
going  on,  had  no  time  for  it.  All  their  time  and  energies 
were  already  absorbed  in  direct  efforts  to  remove  the  great 
evil,  and  their  answer,  had  been  the  silent  continuance  of 
those  efforts.  The  South,  had  received  the  address  with 
frantic  irritation,  and  unsparing  abuse  of  an  act  which 
brought  the  united  weight  of  the  British  aristocracy  and 
commonalty,  upon  the  most  diseased  and  sensitive  part  of 
our  national  life.  Mrs.  Stowe  continued — 


332  THE   LIFE   WORK   OF   THE   AUTHOR   OF 

"The  time  has  come  however,  when  such  an  astonishing  page 
has  been  turned  in  the  anti-slavery  history  in  America,  that  the 
women  of  our  country,  feeling  that  the  great  anti-slavery  work  to 
which  their  English  sisters  exhorted  them  is  almost  done,  may 
properly  and  naturally  feel  moved  to  reply  lo  their  appeal,  and 
lay  before  them  the  history  of  what  has  occurred  since  the  receipt 
of  their  affectionate  and  Christian  Address." 

Then  follows  a  succinct,  and  in  many  ways  remarkable 
history  of  the  United  States,  from  the  repeal  of  the  Mis 
souri  Compromise  to  the  date  of  her  writing.  It  states 
clearly  with  an  eye  single  to  the  vital  points,  the  situation 
of  the  North  and  South  in  the  war,  with  the  political  and 
moral  issues  at  stake.  Then  comes  a  moving  appeal  to 
her  friends  in  England,  the  women  who  by  thousands  wel 
comed  her,  as  the  author  of  "  Uncle  Tom's  Cabin  " — as  the 
representative  of  a  feeling,  which  was  now  the  active  prin 
ciple  of  the  North. 

"And  now,  Sisters  of  England,  in  this  solemn,  expectant  hour 
let  us  speak  to  you  of  one  thing  which  fills  our  hearts  with  pain 
and  solicitude.  It  is  an  unaccountable  fact,  and  one  which  we 
entreat  you  seriously  to  ponder,  that  the  party  which  has  brought 
the  cause  of  Freedom  thus  far  on  its  way,  during  the  past  event- 
ful  year  has  found  little  or  no  support  in  England.  Sadder  than 
this,  the  party  which  makes  Slavery  the  chief  corner-stone  of  its 
edifice  finds  in  England  its  strongest  defenders." 

The  rest  of  this  remarkable  document  cannot  here  be  re 
produced.  It  is  a  masterly  grasp  of  the  complicated  situa 
tion,  and  an  arraignment  of  the  English  people,  which 
might  well  have  made  them  blush  for  their  inconsistency. 


UNCLE   TOM'S  CABIN.  333 

Thus  does  Mrs.  Siowe  close  one  of  the  most  remarkable 
manifestoes  in  history : 

"  And  now,  Sisters  of  England,  think  it  not  strange  if  we 
bring  back  the  words  of  your  letter,  not  in  bitterness,  but  in  deep 
est  sadness  and  lay  them  at  your  door.  We  say  to  you — Sisters, 
you  have  spoken  well ;  we  have  heard  you ;  we  have  heeded ;  we 
have  striven  in  the  cause  even  unto  death.  We  have  sealed  our 
devotion  by  desolate  hearths  and  darkened  homesteads :  by  the 
blood  of  sons,  husbands  and  brothers.  In  many  of  our  dwellings 
the  very  light  of  our  lives  has  gone  out ;  and  yet  we  accept  the 
life-long  darkness  as  our  own  part  in  this  great  and  awful  expia 
tion,  by  which  the  bonds  of  wickedness  shall  be  loosed  and  abid 
ing  peace  established  on  the  foundation  of  righteousness.  Sisters, 
what  have  you  done,  and  what  do  you  mean  to  do  ? 

In  view  of  the  decline  of  the  noble  anti-slavery  fire  in  England ; 
in  view  of  all  facts  and  admissions  recited  from  your  own  papers, 
we  beg  leave  in  solemn  sadness  to  return  to  you  your  own  words 
— *A  common  origin,  a  common  faith,  and,  we  believe,  a  common 
cause,  urge  us  at  the  present  moment,  to  address  you  on  the  sub 
ject  of  that  fearful  encouragement  and  support  which  is  being 
afforded  by  England  to  a  slave-holding  Confederacy. 

We  will  not  dwell  on  the  ordinary  topics— on  the  progress  of 
civilization,  on  the  advance  of  freedom  everywhere,  and  the  rights 
and  requirements  of  the  nineteenth  century ;  but  we  appeal  to  you 
very  seriously,  to  reflect  and  to  ask  counsel  of  God  how  far  such  a 
state  of  things  is  in  accordance  with  his  Holy  Word,  the  inalien 
able  rights  of  immortal  souls  and  the  pure  and  merciful  spirit  of 
the  Christian  religion. 

We  appeal  to  you  as  sisters,  as  wives  and  mothers,  to  raise  your 
voices  to  your  fellow  citizens  and  your  prayers  to  God  for  the 
removal  of  this  affliction  and  disgrace  from  the  Christian  world. 
In  behalf  of  many  thousands  of  American  women, 

HARRIET  BEECHER  STOWE." 


334  THE  LIFE  WORK  OF   THE   AUTHOR   OF 

This  was  indeed  a  prompt  and  pointed  "  retort  court 
eous  "  though  given  with  the  solemn  earnestness  and  spirit 
of  forbearing  kindness  which  always  actuated  the  great 
woman.  It  was  not  only  a  "reply,"  it  was  an  appeal  for 
aid,  freighted  with  the  accumulated  suffering  and  fears  of 
the  whole  woman  heart  of  America.  Harriet  Beecher 
Stowe  never  spoke  nor  wrote  for  mere  verbal  effect,  she 
was  the  one  who  could  voice  the  deepest  feelings  of  the 
nation,  the  grief  and  surprise,  with  which  the  whole  people 
saw  that  the  mother  country  was  false  to  her  faith,  appear 
ing,  after  all,  to  be  a  mercenary  old  dame,  who  in  spite  of 
her  better  impulses,  kept  always  an  eye  to  her  own  advan 
tage.  This  article  appearing  January,  1863,  naturally  made 
a  profound  impression  upon  its  readers,  stimulating  and  en 
couraging  Mrs.Stowe's  compatriots,  and  wringing  the  withers 
of  the  English  sympathizers  with  the  "  independence  "  of 
American  Southerners,  in  a  most  uncomfortable  fashion. 
To  the  active,  enthusiastic,  successful  and  regenerated 
people  of  "  The  New  South  "  her  prediction  may  now  be 
repeated  with  cordial  congratulation. 

"  Mark  our  works !  If  we  succeed,  the  children  of  these  very 
men  who  are  now  fighting  us,  will  rise  up  and  call  us  blessed.  Just 
as  surely  as  there  is  a  God  who  governs  in  the  world,  so  surely  all 
the  laws  of  national  prosperity  follow  in  the  train  of  equity ;  and  if 
we  succeed,  we  shall  have  delivered  the  children's  children  of  our 
misguided  brethren  from  the  wages  of  sin,  which  is  always  and 
everywhere,  death." 

"  The  reply  "  was  published  in  the  Atlantic  Monthly  and 
in  Macmillan's  (London)  Magazine,  afterwards  in  book  form 
by  Sampson,  Low  &  Co.,  who  sold  some  six  thousand 
copies. 


UNCLE   TOM'S  CABIN.  335 

On  the  10th  day  of  January,  1863,  Dr.  Lyman  Beecher 
passed  out  of  this  existence,  in  his  88th  year.  The  last 
four  years  of  his  life  had  been  shadowed  as  by  a  veil 
which  was  continually  drawn  closer  about  his  mental 
faculties.  His  memory,  particularly  the  retention  of  dates 
and  names,  even  those  of  his  most  cherished  friends,  utterly 
failed  and  the  last  year  of  his  life  all  the  organs  of  com 
munication  and  expression  with  the  outer  world  seemed  to 
fail.  From  the  last  pages  of  his  autobiography  we  select  a 
paragraph  written  by  Mrs  Stowe,  who  spent  as  much  time 
as  possible  assisting  her  step-mother  to  care  for  him, — 

"  His  utterances  were,  much  of  the  time,  unintelligible  sounds, 
with  only  short  snatches  and  phrases  from  which  could  be  gathered 
that  the  internal  current  still  flowed.  Still  his  eye  remained  lu 
minous  and  the  expression  of  his  face,  when  calm,  was  marked 
both  by  strength  and  sweetness.  Occasionally  a  flash  of  his  old 
quick  humor  would  light  up  his  face,  and  a  quick  reply  would 
break  out  in  the  most  unexpected  manner.  One  day,  as  he  lay  on 
the  sofa,  his  daughter,  Mrs.  Stowe,  stood  by  him  brushing  his  long 
white  hair ;  his  eyes  were  fixed  on  the  window,  and  the  whole  ex 
pression  of  his  face  was  peculiarly  serene  and  humorous.  *  Do  you 
know,*  she  said,  stroking  his  hair,  'that  you  are  a  very  handsome 
old  gentleman?  '  Instantly  his  eyes  twinkled  with  a  roguish  light, 
and  he  answered  quickly,  4  Tell  me  something  new.'  * 

The  description  of  his  mental  condition  is  peculiarly  sig 
nificant  in  view  of  the  similar  affliction  which  overtook  his 
illustrious  daughter  in  her  declining  days.  It  seemed  to  be 
ordained  that  several  of  his  family  should  die  as  he  did,  as 
did  Emerson  and  Alcott,  showing  decay,  as  do  old  trees,  at 
the  top  first. 


336  THE  LIFE  WORK   OF   THE   AUTHOR  OF 

In  April,  1863  Mrs.  Stowe  published  an%  article  in  the 
Atlantic  Monthly  entitled  "Sojourner  Truth,  The  Libyan 
Sibyl."  It  was  a  description  of  the  strange  and  very  inter 
esting  person,  a  powerful  and  wildly  eloquent  African 
woman  who  had  been  known  in  the  early  years  of  Aboli 
tionism  as  a  frequent  and  impressive  speaker  at  anti-slavery 
meetings  in  the  northern  states,  from  one  to  another  of 
which  she  traveled  as  a  self-appointed  agency.  She  was  a 
full  blooded  African,  possessed  of  that  silent  and  subtle 
power  which  is  called  personal  presence,  tall  and  strong, 
even  majestic  in  her  carriage,  and  strikingly  terse  and 
pointed  in  her  speech. 

She  called  upon  Mrs.  Stowe  at  a  time  when  her  house  at 
Andover  was  occupied  by  several  visiting  clergyman  of  dis 
tinction,  among  whom  was  Dr.  Edward  Beecher  and  Pro 
fessor  Allen,  and  the  account  of  her  appearance  and  conver 
sation  furnishes  a  strong  picture  of  a  peculiar  character;  a 
striking  example  of  the  notable  outgrowths  of  a  down-trod 
den  race  ;  a  personage  whose  barbaric  eloquence  might  have 
proved,  with  the  same  culture,  as  immortal  as  the  words  of 
St.  Augustine  or  Tertullian.  So  impressed  was  Mrs.  Stowe 
with  the  history  and  personality  of  the  woman,  that  during 
a  breakfast  in  her  honor  given  by  Story  the  American 
sculptor,  at  Kome,  she  gave  a  vivid  representation  of  So- 
journer.  The  sculptor  whose  mind  had  begun  to  turn  upon 
Egypt,  in  search  of  a  type  of  art  which  should  represent  a 
larger  and  more  vigorous  development  of  nature  than 
the  cold  elegance  of  the  Greek  lines  was  strongly  impressed 
with  the  subject,  and  conceived  the  idea  of  a  statue  which 
should  be  called  "  The  Libyan  Sibyl."  He  was,  however, 
then  dwelling  on  the  "  Cleopatra,"  bringing  into  mental  form 


UNCLE   TOM'S  CABIN.  337 

the  broadly  developed  nature,  the  slumbering  passion,  with 
which  that  statue  is  surcharged.  But  two  years  later,-  in 
another  interview  with  Mrs.  Stowe,  he  told  her  that  his  con 
ception  of  "The  Libyan  Sibyl "  had  never  left  him,  and  a  day 
or  two  later  showed  her  his  plaster  model.  The  inspiration 
which  came  to  him  taking  shape  in  the  glorious  form  of  the 
Sibyl,  was  received  from  the  graphic  language  of  the 
author  of  "Uncle  Tom's  Cabin." 

It  was  made  and  formed  one  of  the  loftiest  and  most  origi 
nal  works  of  modern  art,  and  became  one  of  the  most  im 
pressive  figures  at  the  World's  Exhibition  in  London.  This 
work  should  not  be  confounded  with  the  fresco  decoration 
of  the  Sistine  Chapel  in  Borne  upon  which  Michael  Angelo's 
Sibyls  are  the  worthy  companions  of  the  Biblical  Prophets. 
These  are,  the  aged  Pythoness  of  Cumae,  and  her  of  Persia 
who  reads  so  earnestly,  and  the  Sibyl  of  Lybia,  who  holds 
up  an  immense  volume  whose  pages  rise  and  wave  in  the  air 
like  wings.  The  figure  of  Michael  Angelo's  Sibyl  bears  a 
marked  resemblance  to  a  piece  of  statuary,  the  painter  hav 
ing  been,  up  to  the  time  when  he  undertook  the  Sistine 
decoration,  an  artist  in  sculpture  only. 

Story,  the  modern  artist,  who  narrowly  escaped  being  a 
poet,  doubtless  received  a  suggestion  from  this,  for  his  orig 
inal  and  striking  work.  Story's  attitude  is  equally  strong 
and  original.  The  legs  of  his  Sibyl  are  crossed,  chin  resting 
upon  hand,  elbow  on  knee,  looking  across  the  desert  into  a 
weird,  unimaginable  future.  It  is  a  fitting  monument  of 
the  graphic  power  of  Mrs.  Stowe,  who  saw  her  mental  im 
pression  materialized  in  marble  through  the  hand  of  an 
other. 

22 


338  THE   LIFE   WOKK  OF   THE   AUTHOR   OF 

Professor  Stowe  having  resigned  his  chair  at  Andover 
Theological  Seminary  in  1864,  the  family  moved  to  Hart 
ford,  Connecticut.  Mrs.  Stowe  built  a  commodious,  and 
attractive  house,  in  the  western  suburbs  of  that  city,  which 
is  still  to  be  seen,  considerably  neglected  and  run  down,  in 
what  has  become  an  unfashionable  quarter  upon  the  edge 
of  Glenwood. 

In  1864  Mrs.  Stowe  commenced  in  the  Atlantic  a  series 
of  papers,  beginning  with"  The  Eavages  of  a  Carpet,"  which 
continued  for  twelve  months.  They  were  afterwards  col 
lected  under  the  title  of  "  House  and  Home  Papers,"  their 
authorship  being  thinly  disguised  under  the  nom  de  plume 
"  Christopher  Crowfield."  Mrs.  Stowe's  object  in  taking  this 
synonym  was,  obviously,  that  she  might  write  from  the 
standpoint  of  the  masculine  head  of  a  family,  being  thereby 
enabled  to  introduce  many  observations,  which  could  not  so 
pertinently  emanate  from  a  woman's  pen.  These  essays 
were  in  a  vein  quite  new  to  the  famous  author,  and  attracted 
close  attention  from  thousands  of  readers  to  whom  their 
topics  were  of  vital  and  present  interest.  They  touched 
upon  the  dearest  sanctities  of  home,  and  brought  the  best 
thoughts  of  life  to  centre  about  the  fireplace  and  reading 
table  of  every  household.  There  was  in  them,  the  literary 
flavor  of  the  "  Autocrat "  who  had  chatted  so  delightfully 
at  the  "  Breakfast  Table,"  the  rare  grace  and  fine  humor  of 
the  writer  of  the  "  Back  Log  Studies,"  who  followed  some 
what  later,  and  above  and  illuminating  all,  the  sweetness 
of  domestic  love  and  home  enjoyment. 

How  much  they  did  to  centralize  and  intensify  the  some 
times  lax  devotion  of  indifferent  and  stern  New  Englanders 
about  the  hearthstone,  can  not  be  estimated.  Every  reader 


UNCLE  TOM'S  CABIN.  339 

must  feel  a  heart  glow,  and  pure  pleasure  and  desire  quicken 
within  him,  at  their  perusal,  and  even  now  when  the  public 
mind  has  turned  more  upon  the  "  house  beautiful "  and  the 
amenities  of  family  living,  they  lose  nothing  of  their  inher 
ent  charm. 

"  The  Ravages  of  a  Carpet'11  is  an  amusing  and  "  o'er  true 
tale,"  of  how  a  new  carpet,  which  was  incongruous  in  style 
and  richness  with  the  household  furniture,  succeeded  in 
setting  all  things  at  heads  and  points,  in  the  Crowfield  home 
and,  in  the  temporary  aberration  which  permitted  the 
women  of  the  family  to  seek  more  after  fashion  than  com 
fort,  almost,  alienated  the  domestic  fairies  of  simplicity, 
good  cheer  and  serene  content.  It  is  written  from  the  real 
masculine  standpoint,  and  while  holding  much  of  truth,  is 
cleverly  held  open  to  the  feminine  objections  of  the  wife  and 
daughters,  which  are  promptly  introduced  by  those  char 
acters. 

" House- Keeping  vs.  Home- Making"  illustrates  Benjamin 
Franklin's  proverb,  "  Silks  and  satins  put  out  the  kitchen 
fire,"  showing  how  the  prim  luxuries  of  housekeeping  and 
a  vain-glorious  regard  for  the  circumstance  of  daily  living, 
have  often  extinguished  the  infinitely  more  sacred  flame  of 
domestic  love — a  lesson  by  the  way,  still  to  be  learned,  by 
many  a  modern  housekeeper  of  more  thrift  than  culture. 

tl  What  is  a  Home  and  How  to  Keep  it"  sets  forth  the 
evident  fact  that  a  dwelling  owned  or  rented  by  a  man,  in 
which  his  own  wife  keeps  house,  is  not  always,  or  of  course, 
a  home.  In  this  essay  which  is  replete  in  every  paragraph 
with  valuable  suggestions,  Christopher  Crowfield  depre 
cates  purchasing  things  too  fine  for  use,  too  choice  for  com 
fort  and  liberty.  He  advises  against  articles  which  must 


340  THE  LIFE   WORK   OF  THE   AUTHOR   OF 

be  shrouded  from  light  and  dust,  or  used  with  fear  and 
trembling  because  their  cost  is  above  the  general  level  of 
one's  means,  and  they  cannot  easily  be  replaced.  He  hu 
morously,  and  with  a  pathos  which  will  be  felt  by  hundreds 
of  readers  who  have  passed  through  a  similar,  trying  child 
ish  experience,  describes  the  anguish  of  his  boyhood,  when 
houses,  furniture,  scrubbed  floors,  white  curtains  and  bright 
tins  and  brasses  were  made  to  seem  the  permanent  facts 
of  existence,  and  men  and  women,  and  particularly  boys, 
meddlesome  intruders  upon  divine  order.  How  many  lit 
tle  human  beings  have  at  some  time  experienced  the  same 
reversal  of  the  essentials  of  life,  through  the  distorted  judg 
ment  and  limited  view  of  sundry  human  authorities  who 
represented  the  powers  that  be. 

"  The  Economy  of  the  Beautiful"  is  a  delightful  discus 
sion  of  the  true  utility  of  beautiful  things  in  the  domestic* 
environment.  The  author  advocates  most  satisfactorily  the 
advantage  of  sparing  expense  upon  so  called  "  decorations," 
by  which  wall  papers,  window  draperies,  carpets  and  up 
holstery  have  come  to  be  designated,  and  becoming  pos 
sessed  of  them  in  their  richest  form,  of  statues,  pictures  and 
vases,  even  though  they  be  no  more  than  correct  models  or 
good  copies,  of  celebrated  works.  She  pertinently  says, — 

"  No  child  is  ever  stimulated  to  draw  or  to  read  by  an  Axmin- 
ster  carpet  or  a  carved  centre  table,  but  a  room  surrounded  by 
photographs  and  pictures  and  fine  casts,  suggests  a  thousand  in 
quiries.  The  child  is  found  with  a  pencil  drawing,  or  he  asks 
for  a  book  on  Venice,  or  wants  to  hear  the  history  of  the  Roman 
Forum. 

This  essay  is  well  worth  the  careful  consideration  of 
every  family  who  are  making  a  home. 


UNCLE   TOM'S  CABIN.  341 

"  Raking  up  the  Fire"  brings  to  the  imagination  a  vivid 
picture  of  comfort,  affectionate  confidence  and  intelligent 
pre-somnolent  chit-chat,  which  warms  the  heart  and  makes 
the  group  around  the  dying  embers,  real  people  to  us  all. 
It  is  a  rare  season,  with  genial  Christopher  Crowfield  in  the 
middle  of  the  half  circle,  his  wife  busy  with  her  work  bas 
ket  at  a  table  near  by,  and  Jennie  and  Marianne  and  Bob 
Stephens  the  prospective  son-in-law,  gathered  about  the 
faintly  glowing  embers.  They  talk  of  many  things,  aes 
thetic,  theological  and  scientific,  always  bringing  the  themes 
home,  making  them  personal  and  dear,  never  talking  or 
thinking  at  other  people,  but  only  of  what  concerns  them 
all,  and  us,  and  every  one.  House  furnishing,  flower  rais 
ing,  book  shelves  and  china,  come  into  the  rambling  talk 
which  is  characteristic  of  the  hour,  making  one  of  the  most 
charming  of  the  many  delightful  papers  in  the  series. 

"  The  Lady  who  does  her  own  Work  "  is  an  essay  which  carries 
with  it  a  flavor  which  is  purely  American,  a  suggestion  of 
conditions  only  possible  to  the  life  of  the  mass  of  intelligent 
people  of  the  United  States,  and  a  form  which  is  so  dis 
tinctly  indigenous  to  the  soil  of  New  England,  that  a  for 
eigner  who  would  laugh  at  the  title,  might  well  be  consid 
erably  confused  at  the  matter  of  the  piece.  It  is  a  pleasant 
and  respectful  handling  of  a  theme  upon  which  the  writer 
evidently  dwells  with  pride.  That  one  can  do  her  own 
work  and  be  a  lady  ;  that  American  women  can  successfully 
perform  the  duties  of  household  work,  saving  their  hands 
by  the  use  of  their  brains,  by  their  good  judgment  and  men 
tal  acumen  turning  drudgery  into  honorable  labor,  which  is 
so  deftly  performed  as  to  be  graceful  and  in  every  way  dig 
nified,  is  a  fact  which  Christopher  Crowfield  declares  with  a 


342  THE   LIFE   WORK   OF   THE   AUTHOR   OF 

glow  of  personal  gratification.  It  is  possible  that  this 
sketch  will  not  now  be  so  generally  appreciated  as  in  the 
earlier  days  when  many,  even  most,  American  women  were 
capable  of  directing  their  servants  and  if  necessary,  per 
forming  the  duties  of  cook  or  housemaid  with  dignity  and 
self  respect. 

While  these  papers  were  appearing,  the  echoes  of  the 
bitter  and  bloody  war  now  long  drawn  out  and  raging  more 
fiercely  than  ever,  came  to  the  hearthstones  of  every  home, 
and  Christopher  Crowfield  who  watched  the  times  with 
deep  anxiety,  saw  an  opportunity  to  again  write  upon  a 
topic  of  political  interest. 

" What  can  be  got  in  America"  is  a  patriotic  appeal  to 
American  women  who  could  labor  so  effectively  in  Sanitary 
Fairs,  and  minister  so  tenderly  to  the  wounded  soldiers  in 
hundreds  of  army  hospitals,  to  be  as  thoughtful  and  con 
sistent,  in  all  things  affecting  the  prosperity  of  our  stricken 
country,  and  to  strengthen  its  industries  by  buying,  eating, 
and  wearing,  American  productions. 

It  may  be  mentioned  as  it  is  a  custom,  now  for  obvious 
reasons  unpermissible,  that  this,  as  well  as  other  of  these 
papers,  contains  various  easy  and  undisguised  references  to 
mercantile  houses  in  Boston,  which  evoke  a  certain  mercen 
ary  wonder,  even  excite  a  momentary  suspicion  in  the  mind 
of  the  practical  reader.  This,  however  unworthy,  may 
be  excused  as  it  is  born  of  the  adroit  advertising  of  the 
present  decade,  and  the  machinations  of  writers  who  "get 
pay  at  both  ends  of  an  article."  Perhaps  it  will  be  remem 
bered  how  Mr.  Howells  astonished  the  more  suspicions 
readers  of  the  country,  by  his  graceful  unconsciousness  of 
unwritten  literary  rules  which  forbid  such  localizing  of 


UNCLE   TOM'S  CABIN.  343 

purchases  made,  and  set  many  drawing-rooms  buzzing  with 
discussions  as  to  whether  certain  Boston  firms,  to  whom  he 
pointed  by  name  when  his  heroines  wanted  dinner  dresses 
.and  small  accessories,  had  subsidized  him  ;  how  he  came  to 
do  it  if  they  had  not  done  so;  and  whether  his  editors 
would  "stand  it." 

These  questionings  were,  of  course,  outside  of  the  athenic 
atmosphere  where  even  authors  seem  to  love  the  very 
names  of  the  local  business  houses.  It  is  superfluous  to  say 
that  Mrs.  Stowe's  article,  upon  which  many  modern  mercen 
ary  efforts  have  apparently  been  formed,  was  as  purely 
honest  and  disinterested  as  were  all  her  utterances,  written 
or  spoken.  She  had  created  her  own  prerogative  to  plain 
speaking,  and  saw  no  reason  to  repress  her  approval,  even 
though  it  might  pecuniarily  benefit  certain  tradesmen.  Was 
not  the  country  dependant  upon  individuals,  and  never  in 
so  dire  need  of  the  welfare  and  success  of  the  mass  of  the 
people  ? 

"  Economy  "  is  a  clear  and  forcible  presentation  of  the 
essentials  of  life,  a  sensible  valuation  of  the  things  worth 
having  and  the  duty  of  every  one  to  live  according  to  the 
best  use  of  his  income,  be  it  great  or  small.  The  ideas  are 
more  than  usually  broad  and  comprehensive,  and  the  essay 
of  permanent  value,  especially  to  Americans,  who,  on  ac 
count  of  their  feeling  of  unlimited  possibilities  in  station,  in 
culture,  and  style,  are  prone  to  outlays  which,  quite  permis 
sible  in  a  millionaire,  are  so  often  the  ruin  of  a  poor  clerk. 

The  paper  upon  "  Servants"  is  an  article  which  should 
be  digested  by  every  American  housekeeper.  It  unites  in 
a  rare  degree,  a  sense  of  justice  to  both  parties,  those  who 
are  too  often  opposed  in  our  domestic  economy ;  an  under- 


344  THE  LIFE   WORK  OF   TPIE   AUTHOR   OF 

derstanding  of  the  limitations  which  our  political  system 
impose  upon  any  arbitrary  power  on  the  part  of  employers; 
and  a  Christian  feeling  towards,  and  a  generous  appreciation 
of,  the  good  qualities  of  servants,  which  is  unfortunately 
uncommon  even  to  this  day.  In  this,  as  in  all  other  sub 
jects  she  has  treated,  Mrs.  Stowe  seems  to  have  absorbed 
and  assimilated  all  the  good  ideas  in  existence,  and  to  have 
them  set  forth  with  lucidity  and  great  power.  Those  who 
in  this  generation  have  given  some  thought  to  the  ethics  of 
"  servant-girlism  "  and  perhaps  written  what  they  believed 
to  be  fresh  matter,  are  surprised  to  find  that  Mrs.  Stowe 
•  had  thought  and  said  it  all,  and  much  more,  years  ago. 

Christopher  Crowfield,  who  maintains  very  successfully 
his  masculine  attitude  toward  the  order  of  things  in  a 
home,  begins  his  paper  on  " Cookery'"1  with  apologies  and 
acknowledgments  to  Mrs.  Crowfield  which  are  quite  proper, 
as  it  soon  becomes  apparent  that  the  intelligent  and  dis 
criminating  disquisition  on  the  preparation  and  serving  of 
bread,  butter,  meat,  vegetables  and  tea  which  are  consid 
ered  as  the  essentials  of  a  healthful  regimen,  could  have 
emanated  from  none  but  a  practical  housekeeper's  mind. 

"Still  the  wonder  grows"  upon  the  modern  reader  who 
takes  up  a  volume  of  these  "House  and  Home  Papers  " 
and  reads  the  thoughts  of  Christopher  Crowfield  upon  "Our 
House."  They  are  full  of  rich  suggestions  for  beauty,  com 
fort  and  health.  The  author's  ideas  upon  ventilation, 
heating  and  bathing  conveniences,  all  of  which  combine 
utility  and  aesthetic  charm,  are  set  forth  with  wonderful 
taste  and  perspicacity.  Christopher  Crowfield,  recommend 
ed  light  and  air,  when  they  were  not  so  fashionable  as  to 
day.  He  advocated  the  use  of  native  woods,  left  in  their 


UNCLE  TOM'S  CABIX.  345 

natural  beauty  of  grain  and  coloring,  at  an  epoch  when  all 
interiors  were  adorned  with  white  paint.  He  dared  to 
speak  for  conservatories,  and  open  windows,  and  clear 
lawns,  when  all  New  England  was  grown  up  with  shrub 
bery  even  to  the  front  door  steps;  when  flies  dominated 
good  taste  and  enjoyment  of  nature,  being  the  tiny  black 
beasts  who  stood  in  the  way  of  light,  airy  apartments,  and 
sunlight  and  picturesque  outlooks.  People  at  large  have 
been  almost  a  quarter  of  a  century  educating  up  to  the 
author  of  "  House  and  Home  Papers  "  in  these  things. 

The  last  of  the  articles,  is  upon  the  tender  and  vital  themes 
grouped  under  the  head  of  " Home  Religion"  Probably 
no  better  statement  of  Harriet  Beecher's  Stowe's  religious 
habit  could  be  given  than  Christopher  Crowfield  describes 
in  his  wife  when  he  says, 

"  My  wife  is  a  steady,  Bible-reading,  Sabbath-keeping  woman, 
cherishing  the  memory  of  her  fathers  and  loving  to  do  as  they  did 
— believing  for  the  most  part,  that  the  paths  beaten  by  righteous 
feet  are  best  and  safest,  even  though  much  walking  therein  has 
worn  away  the  grass  and  flowers.  Nevertheless,  she  has  an 
indulgent  ear  for  all  that  gives  promise  of  bettering  anybody  or 
anything,  and  therefore  is  not  severe  on  any  new  methods  that 
may  arise  in  our  progressive  days  of  accomplishing  all  such 
objects." 

The  wide  awake  son-in-law  Bob  Stephens,  whom  Mrs. 
Crowfield  calls  Robert,  on  Sunday  evenings,  is  the  advocate 
for  the  innovations  which  have  crept  in,  making  the  mod 
ern  Sabbath  entirely  different  from  the  over-strictness  and 
wearisome  restraints  which  caused  the  Puritan  Sabbath  to 
be  a  day  of  suffering  to  many  good  people.  The  question 
being  reasonably  raised,  is  well  answered  by  Mr.  Crowfield 


346  THE   LIFE  WORK   OF  THE   AUTHOR   OF 

and  his  wife,  to  whom,  not  strangely  perhaps,  the  author  im 
putes  much  excellent  sense  and  tactful  right  feeling.  Sab 
bath  keeping  in  all  its  vexed  phases  is  thoroughly  discussed, 
and  in  this  conversation  may  be  found  the  only  answer  to 
the  discussions  of  the  desirability  of  throwing  off  the  good 
old  ways,  for  the  looseness  of  European  Sunday  life.  To 
treat  home  religion  and  Sabbath  keeping  with  fair  mind- 
edness  and  an  unbiased  desire  for  the  best  results,  has  in 
deed  seemed  as  impossible,  as  to  conduct  arguments  upon 
the  political  welfare  of  the  nation  with  calmness  and  broth 
erly  love ;  but  those  who  need  truth  well  presented,  for  sup 
port  to  their  unexpressible  convictions,  will  find  most  ad 
mirable  and  considerate  arguments  in  this  article.  It  ap 
pears  that  there  can  be  no  other  answer  to  the  questions  so 
often  raised.  And  so  upon  this  Sunday  night,  after  the 
singing  of  good  old  hymns  and  the  talking  over  the  autumn 
fire,  upon  topics  so  good  to  dwell  upon,  we  part  with  the 
Crowfields,  not,  however,  without  a  strong  desire  to  know 
them  better. 


CHAPTEB  XYT. 

SEVEN  ESSAYS,  CALLED  "  LITTLE  FOXES  " — MRS.  STOWE'S  CON 
TINUED   CONNECTION  WITH  THE  ATLANTIC  MONTHLY— 
"THE  CHIMNEY  CORNER"   PAPERS — MRS.  STOWE'S  IDEAS 
UPON  THE  WOMAN'S  RIGHTS  MOVEMENT — ARTICLES  OF 

SPECIAL  INTEREST  TO  HER  SEX  UPON  TOPICS  RANGING 
FROM  SUFFRAGE  TO  HOME  DUTIES — ACCOMPLISHMENT  OF 
THE  EMANCIPATION  OF  AMERICAN  SLAVES — MRS.  STOWE 
TAKES  THE  BRACELET  OF  MASSIVE  GOLD  LINKS  AND  HAS  IT 
INSCRIBED  WITH  THE  DATES  OF  ABOLITION  IN  THE  UNITED 
STATES — RENEWED  INTEREST  IN  UNCLE  TOM'S  CABIN- 
MRS.  STOWE  BESIEGED  BY  CELEBRITY  HUNTERS — THE  WO 
MAN  AS  SHE  APPEARED  TO  STRANGERS — AN  EPISODE  AT 
A  SUMMER  RESORT — "  OUR  YOUNG  FOLKS,"  A  NEW  MAG 
AZINE  WITH  MRS.  STOWE  AS  ITS  MOST  FAMOUS  CONTRI 
BUTOR. 

IN  1864  there  appeared  in  the  Atlantic -Monthly,  a  series 
of  essays  by  Mrs.  Stowe,  written  under  the  now  transparent 
pseudonym  of  Christopher  Crowfield,  called  "  Little  Foxes." 
They  were  seven  papers  upon  the  insignificant  little  habits 
which  mar  domestic  happiness.  The  author  selects  "Fault 
finding,  Irritability,  Eepression,  Persistence,  Intolerance, 
Discourtesy  and  Exactingness,  of  a  verity,  a  company  of 
seemingly  small  sins,  which  in  family  and  social  life  often 
become  furies  more  dangerous  to  peace  than  the  daughters 
of  Hecate,  with  their  many  heads  and  serpentine  hair.  Of 

347 


348  THE  LIFE   WORK   OF   THE   AUTHOR   OF 

Faultfinding  let  us  quote  a  paragraph  from  the  midst  of 
the  essay : 

"  Saddest  of  all  sad  things,  is  it  to  see  two  once  very  dear 
friends,  employing  all  that  peculiar  knowledge  of  each  other  which 
love  had  given  them  only  to  harass  and  provoke, — thrusting  and 
piercing  with  a  certainty  of  aim  that  only  past  habits  of  confidence 
and  affection  could  have  put  in  their  power,  wounding  their  own 
hearts  with  every  deadly  thrust  they  make  at  one  another,  and 
all  for  such  inexpressibly  miserable  trifles  as  usually  form  the 
openings  of  fault-finding  dramas. 

"  For  the  contentions  that  loosen  the  very  foundations  of  love, 
that  crumble  away  all  its  fine  traceries  and  carved  work,  about 
what  miserable,  worthless  things  do  they  commonly  begin  ! — a 
dinner  underdone,  too  much  oil  consumed,  a  newspaper  torn,  a 
waste  of  coal  or  soap,  a  dish  broken  ! — and  for  this  miserable  sort 
of  trash,  very  good,  very  generous,  very  religious  people  will  some 
times  waste  and  throw  away  by  double-handfuls  the  very  thing  for 
which  houses  are  built  and  coal  burned,  and  all  the  parapher 
nalia  of  a  home  established, — their  happiness.  Better  cold  coffee, 
smoky  tea,  burnt  meat,  better  any  inconvenience,  any  loss,  than 
a  loss  of  love ;  and  nothing  so  surely  burns  away  love  as  constant 
fault-finding." 

"There  isfretfulness,  a  mizzling,  drizzling  rain  of  discomforting 
remark  ;  there  is  grumbling,  a  northeast  storm  that  never  clears ; 
there  is  scolding,  the  thunder  storm  with  lightning  and  hail.  All 
these  are  worse  than  useless ;  they  are  positive  sins,  by  whomso 
ever  indulged, — sins  as  great  and  real  as  many  that  are  shuddered 
at  in  polite  society." 

Genial  Christopher  Crowfield  after  a  most  amusing  des 
cription  of  one  of  his  own  bad  half  hours,  says  of  Irritability  : 

"  Irritability  is,  more  than  most  unlovely  states,  a  sin  of  the 
flesh.  It  is  not,  like  envy,  malice,  spite,  revenge,  a  vice  which 


UNCLE   TOM'S  CABIN.  349 

we  may  suppose  to  belong  equally  to  an  embodied  or  a  disem 
bodied  spirit.  In  fact,  it  comes  nearer  to  being  physical  depravi 
ty  than  anything  I  know  of.  There  are  some  bodily  states,  some 
conditions  of  the  nerves  such  that  we  could  not  conceive  of  even 
an  angelic  spirit  confined  in  a  body  thus  disordered  as  being  able 
to  do  any  more  than  simply  endure.  It  is  a  state  of  nervous  tor 
ture  ;  and  the  attacks  which  the  wretched  victim  makes  on  others 
are  as  much  a  result  of  disease  as  the  snapping  and  biting  of  a 
patient  convulsed  with  hydrophobia." 

And  again  offers  valuable  advice  for  the  control  of  the 
moody  state  of  mind  : 

"There  is  a  temperament  called  the  HYPOCHONDRIAC,  to 
which  many  persons,  some  of  them  the  brightest,  the  most  inter 
esting,  the  most  gifted,  are  born  heirs, — a  want  of  balance  of  the 
nervous  powers,  which  tends  constantly  to  periods  of  high  excite 
ment  and  of  consequent  depression, — an  unfortunate  inheritance 
for  the  possessor,  though  accompanied  often  with  the  greatest  tal 
ents.  Sometimes,  too,  it  is  the  unfortunate  lot  of  those  who 
have  not  talents,  who  bear  its  burdens  and  its  anguish  without  its 
rewards. 

"  People  of  this  temperament  are  subject  to  fits  of  gloom  and 
despondency,  of  nervous  irritability  and  suffering,  which  darken 
the  aspect  of  the  whole  world  to  them,  which  present  lying  re 
ports  of  their  friends,  of  themselves,  of  the  circumstances  of  their 
life,  and  of  all  with  which  they  have  to  do. 

"  Now  the  highest  philosophy  for  persons  thus  ^afflicted  is  to 
understand  themselves  and  their  tendencies,  to  know  that  these  fits 
of  gloom  and  depression  are  just  as  much  a  form  of  disease  as  a 
fever  or  a  toothache,  to  know  that  it  is  the  peculiarity  of  the  dis 
ease  to  fill  the  mind  with  wretched  illusions,  to  make  them  seem 
miserable  and  unlovely  to  themselves,  to  make  their  nearest  friends 
seem  unjust  and  unkind,  to  make  all  events  to  appear  to  be  going 
wrong  and  tending  to  destruction  and  ruin. 


350  THE   LIFE   WORK    OF   THE    AUTHOR   OF 

"  The  evils  and  burdens  of  such  a  temperament  are  half  re 
moved  when  a  man  once  knows  that  he  has  it  and  recognizes  it  for 
a  disease,  and  when  he  does  not  trust  himself  to  speak  and  act  in 
these  bitter  hours  as  if  there  were  any  truth  in  what  he  thinks  and 
feels  and  sees.  He  who  has  not  attained  to  this  wisdom  over 
whelms  his  friends  and  his  family  with  the  waters  of  bitterness ; 
he  stings  with  unjust  accusations,  and  makes  his  fireside  dreadful 
with  fancies  which  are  real  to  him,  but  false  as  the  ravings  of 
fever. 

'*  A  sensible  person,  thus  diseased,  who  has  found  out  what  ails 
him,  will  shut  his  mouth  resolutely,  not  to  give  utterance  to  the 
dark  thoughts  that  infest  his  soul." 

After  telling  a  story  which  characterized  the  social  life 
of  the  last  generation,  and  still  obtains  in  many  of  the 
natures  which  have  the  inherent  shyness  with  regard  to 
amenities,  which  they  are  far  from  exhibiting  when  un 
pleasant  truth,  is  concerned,  Christopher  Crowfield  says : 

"  And  now  for  the  moral, — and  that  is,  that  life  consists  of  two 
parts,  Expression  and  Repression^ — each  of  which  has  its  solemn 
duties.  To  love,  joy,  hope,  faith,  pity,  belongs  the  duty  of  ex 
pression  :  to  anger,  envy,  malice,  revenge,  and  all  uncharitable- 
ness,  belongs  the  duty  of  repression. 

"  Some  very  religious  and  moral  people  err  by  applying  repres 
sion  to  both  classes  alike.  They  repress  equally  the  expression  of 
love  and  of  hatred,  of  pity  and  of  anger.  Such  forget  one  great 
law,  as  true  in  the  moral  world  as  in  the  physical, — that  repres 
sion  lessens  and  deadens.  Twice  or  thrice  mowing  will  kill  off 
the  sturdiest  crop  of  weeds  ;  the  roots  die  for  want  of  expression. 
A  compress  on  a  limb  will  stop  its  growing ;  the  surgeon  knows 
this,  and  puts  a  tight  bandage  around  a  tumor,  but  what  if  we  put 
a  tight  bandage  about  the  heart  and  lungs,  as  some  young 
ladies  of  my  acquaintance  do, — or  bandage  the  feet,  as  they  do  in 


UNCLE   TOM'S  CABIN".  351 

China?     And  what  if  we  bandage  a   nobler  inner  faculty,  and 
warp  love  in  grave-clothes  ?  " 

Of  Persistence  which  is  another  name  for  self-will  in 
speech  as  well  as  in  action,  Christopher  Crowfield  says : 

"  This  love  of  the  last  word  has  made  more  bitterness  in  fami 
lies  and  spoiled  more  Christians  than  it  is  worth.  A  thousand 
little  differences  of  this  kind  would  drop  to  the  ground,  if  either 
party  would  let  them  drop.  Suppose  John  is  mistaken  in  saying 
breakfast  is  late, — suppose  that  fifty  of  the  little  criticisms  which 
we  make  on  one  another  are  well  or  ill-founded,  are  they  worth  a 
discussion  ?  Are  they  worth  ill-tempered  words,  such  as'  are  al 
most  sure  to  grow  out  of  a  discussion  ?  Are  they  worth  throwing 
away. peace  and  love  for?  Are  they  worth  the  destruction  of  the 
only  fair  ideal  left  on  earth, — a  quiet,  happy  home  ?  Better  let 
the  most  unjust  statements  pass  in  silence  than  risk  one's  temper 
in  a  discussion  upon  them. 

"  Discussions,  assuming  the  form  of  warm  arguments,  are  never 
pleasant  ingredients  of  domestic  life,  never  safe  recreations  be 
tween  near  friends.  They  are,  generally  speaking,  mere  unsus 
pected  vents  for  self-will,  and  the  cases  are  few  where  they  do 
anything  more  than  to  make  both  parties  more  positive  in  their 
own  way  than  they  were  before." 

The  paper  upon  Intolerance,  opens  with  a  shot  which 
scattering  just  enough  to  hit  the  whole  covey,  hits  all  of  us 
between  the  eyes  and  demands  attention. 

"  People  are  apt  to  talk  as  if  all  the  intolerance  in  life  were  got 
up  and  expended  in  the  religious  world  ;  whereas  religious  intol 
erance  is  only  a  small  branch  of  the  radical,  strong,  all-prevading 
intolerance  of  human  nature. 

"  Physicians  are  quite  as  intolerant  as  theologians.  They  never 
have  had  the  power  of  burning  at  the  stake  for  medical  opinions, 


352  THE  LIFE  WORK   OF  THE   AUTHOR  OF 

but  they  certainly  have  shown  the  will.  Politicians  are  intoler 
ant.  Philosophers  are  intolerant,  especially  those  who  pique 
themselves  on  liberal  opinions.  Painters  and  sculptors  are  intol 
erant.  And  housekeepers  are  intolerant,  virulently  denunciatory 
concerning  any  departures  from  their  particular  domestic  creed." 

This  is  the  prelude  to  one  of  the  best  of  the  strong  and 
pertinent  series.  It  will  be  apt  and  pointed  as  long  as 
human  nature  exists  in  its  present  form. 

One  or  two  selections  from  the  essay  upon  Discourtesy 
are  the  key-note  to  the  whole,  which  teems  with  advice 
and  suggestions  which  alas,  are  still  needed,  more  than  a 
score  of  years  after  their  writing. 

"My  second  head  is,  that  there  should  be  in  family  life  the 
same  delicacy  in  the  avoidance  of  disagreeable  topics  that  charac 
terizes  the  intercourse  of  refined  society  among  strangers. 

"  I  do  not  think  that  it  makes  family-life  more  sincere,  or  any 
more  honest,  to  have  the  members  of  a  domestic  circle  feel  a 
freedom  to  blurt  out  in  each  other's  faces,  without  thought  or  care, 
all  the  disagreeable  things  that  may  occur  to  them  :  for  example 
'  How  horridly  you  look  this  morning  !  What's  the  matter  with 
you  ? ' — '  Is  there  a  pimple  coming  on  your  nose  ?  or  what  is  that 
spot?' — 'What  made  you  buy  such  a  dreadfully  unbecoming 
dress  ? ' — Observations  of  this  kind  between  husbands  and 
wives,  brothers  and  sisters,  or  intimate  friends,  do  not  indicate 
sincerity,  but  obtuseness ;  and  the  person  who  remarks  on  the 
pimple  on  your  nose  is  in  many  cases  just  as  apt  to  deceive  you  as 
the  most  accomplished  Frenchwoman  who  avoids  disagreeable 
topics  in  your  presence. 

"Many  families  seem  to  think  that  it  is  a  proof  of  family  union 
and  good-nature  that  they  can  pick  each  other  to  pieces,  joke  on 
each  other's  feelings  and  infirmities,  and  treat  each  other  with  a 


353 

general  tally-ho-ing  rudeness  without  any  offense  or  ill-feeling.  If 
there  is  a  limping  sister,  there  is  a  never-failing  supply  of  jokes 
on  '  Dot-and-go-one  ! '  and  so  with  other  defects  and  peculiarities 
of  mind  or  manners.  Now  the  perfect  good-nature  and  mutual 
confidence  which  allow  all  this  liberty  are  certainly  admirable  ; 
but  the  liberty  itself  is  far  from  making  home-life  interesting  or 
agreeable. 

"  Jokes  upon  personal  or  mental  infirmities,  and  a  general  habit 
of  saying  things  in  jest  which  would  be  the  height  of  rudeness  if 
eaid  in  earnest,  are  all  habits  which  take  from  the  delicacy  of  fam 
ily  affection. 

*'  In  all  rough  playing  with  edge-tools  many  are  hit  and  hurt 
who  are  ashamed  or  afraid  to  complain.  And  after  all,  what  pos 
sible  good  or  benefit  comes  from  it  ?  Courage  to  say  disagreeable 
things,  when  it  is  necessary  to  say  them  for  the  highest  good  of 
the  person  addressed,  is  a  sublime  quality ;  but  a  careless  habit  of 
saying  them,  in  the  mere  freedom  of  family  intercourse,  is  cer 
tainly  as  great  a  spoiler  of  the  domestic  vines  as  any  fox  running." 

Exactingness,  which  is  shown  to  be  Ideality  grown  im 
patient,  is  deprecated  and  the  effects  of  the  habit  of  over 
demand  upon  one's  self  and  friends  was  never  more  clev 
erly  shown  than  in  the  comparison  of  the  Mores  and  the 
Day  tons  which  is  subjoined : 

"  The  poor  woman  in  the  midst  of  possessions  and  attainments 
which  excite  the  envy  of  her  neighbors,  is  utterly  restless  and 
wretched,  and  feels  herself  always  baffled  and  unsuccessful.  Her 
exacting  nature  makes  her  dissatisfied  with  herself  in  everything  that 
she  undertakes,  and  equally  dissatisfied  with  others.  In  the  whole 
family  there  is  little  of  that  pleasure  which  comes  from  the  con 
sciousness  of  mutual  admiration  and  esteem,. because  each  one  is 
pitched  to  so  exquisite  a  tone  that  each  is  afraid  to  touch  another 


354  THE  LIFE   WORK   OF  THE   AUTHOR  OF 

for  fear  of  making  discord.  They  are  afraid  of  each  other  every 
where.  They  cannot  sing  to  each  other,  play  to  each  other,  write 
to  each  other  ;  they  cannot  even  converse  together  with  any  free 
dom,  because  each  knows  that  the  others  are  so  dismally  well 
informed  and  critically  instructed. 

"  Though  all  agree  in  a  secret  contempt  for  their  neighbors 
over  the  way,  as  living  in  a  most  heathenish  state  of  ignorant  con 
tentment,  yet  it  is  a  fact  that  the  elegant  brother  John  will  often, 
on  the  sly,  slip  into  the  Daytons'  to  spend  an  evening  and  join 
them  in  singing  glees  and  catches  to  their  old  rattling  piano,  and 
have  a  jolly  time  of  it,  which  he  remembers  in  contrast  with  the 
dull,  silent  hours  at  home.  Kate  Dayton  has  an  uncultivated 
voice,  which  often  falls  from  pitch ;  but  she  has  a  perfectly  infec 
tious  gayety  of  good  nature,  and  when  she  is  once  at  the  piano, 
and  all  join  in  some  merry  troll,  he  begins  to  think  that  there 
may  be  something  better  even  than  good  singing ;  and  then  they 
have  dances  and  charades  and  games,  all  in  such  contented,  jolly, 
impromptu  ignorance  of  the  unities  of  time,  place,  and  circum 
stance,  that  he  sometimes  doubts,  where  ignorance  is  such  bliss, 
whether  it  isn't  in  truth  folly  to  be  wise. 

"  Jane  and  Maria  laugh  at  John  for  his  partiality  to  the  Day- 
tons',  and  yet  they  themselves  feel  the  same  attraction.  At  the 
Daytons'  they  somehow  find  themselves  heroines ;  their  drawings 
are  so  admired,  their  singing  is  so  charming  to  these  simple  ears, 
that  they  are  often  beguiled  into  giving  pleasure  with  their  own 
despised  acquirements  ;  and  Jane,  somehow,  is  very  tolerant  of  the 
devoted  attention  of  Will  Dayton,  a  joyous,  honest-hearted  fellow, 
whom,  in  her  heart  of  hearts,  she  likes  none  the  worse  for  being 
unexacting  and  simple  enough  to  think  her  a  wonder  of  taste  and 
accomplishments.  Will,  of  course,  is  the  farthest  possible  from 
the  Admirable  C  rich  tons  and  exquisite  Sir  Philip  Sidneys  whom 
Mrs.  More  and  the  young  ladies  talk  up  at  their  leisure,  and  adorn 
with  feathers  from  every  royal  and  celestial  bird,  when  they  are 


UNCLE   TOM'S  CABIN.  355 

discussing  theoretic  possible  husbands.  He  is  not  in  any  way  dis 
tinguished,  except  for  a  kind  heart,  strong,  native  good  sense,  and 
a  manly  energy  that  has  carried  him  straight  into  the  heart  of 
many  a  citadel  of  life,  before  which  the  superior  and  more  refined 
Mr.  John  had  set  himself  down  to  deliberate  upon  the  best  and 
most  elegant  way  of  taking  it.  Will's  plain,  homely  intelligence 
has  often  in  five  minutes  disentangled  some  ethereal  snarl  in  which 
these  exquisite  Mores  had  spun  themselves  up,  and  brought  them 
to  his  own  way  of  thinking  by  that  sort  of  disenchanting  process 
which  honest,  practical  sense  sometimes  exerts  over  ideality. 

"  The  fact  is  however,  that  in  each  of  these  families  there  is  a 
natural  defect  which  requires  something  from  the  other  for  com 
pleteness.  Taking  happiness  as  the  standard,  the  Daytons  have 
it  as  against  the  Mores.  Taking  attainment  as  the  standard,  the 
Mores  have  it  as  against  the  Daytons.  A  portion  of  the  discon 
tented  ideality  of  the  Mores  would  stimulate  the  Daytons  to 
refine  and  perfect  many  things  which  might  easily  be  made  better, 
did  they  care  enough  to  have  them  so  ;  and  a  portion  of  the  Day- 
tons'  self-satisfied  contentment  would  make  the  attainments  and 
refinements  of  the  Mores  of  some  practical  use  in  advancing  their 
own  happiness. 

These  excerpts  are  doubtless  better  than  any  commen 
tary  of  the  writer.  Indeed  it  is  one  of  the  difficulties  of  a 
devoted  interpreter,  to  repress  and  condense  to  outline,  and 
in  so  doing  run  the  imminent  danger  of  devitalizing  and 
paling  the  ideas  of  a  great  author,  while  feeling  always, 
that  nothing  can  so  well  testify  to  their  beauty  and  power 
as  the  writings  which  are  under  discussion,  no  word  of 
which  can  really  be  spared. 

Painting  the  lily  and  gilding  refined  gold  is  indeed  a 
humiliating  attempt,  and  nothing  half  so  sincere  and  con 
vincing  as  to  the  strength,  and  ethical  value  of  these  essays 


356  THE  LIFE  WORK  OF  THE   AUTHOR  OF 

of  Christopher  Crowfield  can  be  offered,  as  an  entreaty  to 
read  them  for  one's  self. 

During  the  year  1864  Mrs.  Stowe  contributed  monthly 
articles  to  the  Atlantic,  which  from  the  appearance  of  her 
story  in  the  first  number,  had  been  her  principal  mouth 
piece  during  the  successive  changes  which  ensued  in  its 
publishers  and  editorship.  From  the  time  of  Phillips  & 
Sampson  whose  deaths  closely  following  had  dissolved  the 
firm,  to  Ticknor  &  Fields ;  Fields,  Osgood  &  Co.;  J.  K. 
Osgood,  and  up  to  1874,  when  the  magazine  passed  into  the 
hands  of  its  present  proprietors,  Houghton,  Mimin  &  Co., 
its  publishers  have  brought  out  Mrs.  Stowe's  books  in  Amer 
ica,  its  editors  been  her  friends  and  gratified  receivers. 

They  were  upon  a  variety  of  topics,  all  holding  interest 
to  American  readers  and  are  to  be  found  in  a  collection 
called  "  The  Chimney  Corner." 

"  WHAT  WILL  You  Do  WITH  HER  ?  "  or  "  THE  WOMAN 
QUESTION,"  deals  with  a  dual  problem,  the  opposing  parts 
of  which  if  adjusted  as  it  would  appear  they  might  easily 
be,  would  each  answer  and  satisfy  the  other's  need.  The 
author  discusses  the  state  of  pride  and  prejudice  which 
precluded,  and  still  largely  precludes,  the  assuming  of  the 
housework  and  care  of  another's  family  by  competent  and 
intelligent  women,  and  the  difficulties  and  trials  of  those 
who,  lifted  above  want,  find  their  accumulation  of  lux 
uries  and  privileges,  only  a  new  set  of  cares  and  troubles. 

It  is  often  asked  in  these  later  days,  how  Harriet  Beecher 
Stowe  regarded  the  struggle  for  Woman's  Suffrage  in 
which  her  sister,  Isabella  Beecher  Hooker  was  so  ear 
nestly  engaged.  It  has  been  declared  that  she  was  too 
lucid  and  fair-minded,  too  far-seeing  and  comprehensive  to 


UNCLE   TOM'S   CABIN.  357 

run  away  with  the  idea  which  brought  such  martyrdom 
upon  its  promulgators.  As  is  well  known  the  pioneers,  in 
the  dissent  and  impatience  with  which  they  were  widely 
regarded,  failed  to  secure  the  credit  and  gratitude  of  even 
women,  who  were  doubtless  indirectly  benefited  by  their 
persistent  efforts  to  bring  them  to  the  front,  as  a  sex  pos 
sessed  of  brains,  mechanical  ability  and  responsible  capa 
city  for  important  trusts.  But  see  what  Christopher  Crow- 
field  wrote  in  his  paper  upon  "  WOMAN'S  SPHERE." 

"As  to  the  <  Woman's  Rights  Movement/  it  is  not  peculiar  to 
America,  it  is  part  of  a  great  wave  in  the  incoming  tide  of  modern 
civilization  ;  the  swell  is  felt  no  less  in  Europe,  but  it  comes  over 
and  breaks  on  our  American  shore,  because  our  great,  wide  beach 
affords  the  best  play  for  its  waters ;  and  as  the  ocean  waves  bring 
with  them  kelp,  sea-weed,  mud,  sand,  gravel,  and  even  putrefying 
debris,  which  lie  unsightly  on  the  shore,  and  yet,  on  the  whole, 
are  healthful  and  refreshing, — so  the  Woman's  Rights  movement, 
with  its  conventions,  its  speech-makings,  its  crudities,  and  eccen 
tricities,  is  nevertheless  a  part  of  a  healthful  and  necessary  move 
ment  of  the  human  race  towards  progress." 

As  the  conversation  continues  on  we  see — 

"Then,"  said  my  wife,  "you  believe  that  women  ought  to 
vote?" 

"  If  the  principle  on  which  we  founded  our  government  is  true, 
that  taxation  must  not  exist  without  representation,  and  if  women 
hold  property  and  are  taxed,  it  follows  that  women  should  be 
represented  in  the  state  by  their  votes,  or  there  is  an  illogical 
working  of  our  government." 

"  But,  my  dear,  don't  you  think  that  this  will  have  a  bad  effect 
on  the  female  character  ?  " 


358  THE  LIFE   WOKK  OF   THE   AUTHOR   OF 

"  Yes,"  said  Bob,  "  it  will  make  women  caucus-holders,  polit 
ical  candidates." 

"  It  may  make  this  of  some  women,  just  as  of  some  men,"  said 
I.  "But  all  men  do  not  take  any  great  interest  in  politics  ;  it  is 
very  difficult  to  get  some  of  the  very  best  of  them  to  do  their  duty 
in  voting  ;  and  the  same  will  be  found  true  among  women." 

"  But,  after  all,"  said  Bob,  "  what  do  you  gain  ?  What  will  a 
woman's  vote  be  but  a  duplicate  of  that  of  her  husband  or  father, 
or  whatever  man  happens  to  be  her  adviser  ?  " 

u  That  maybe  true  on  a  variety  of  questions ,  but  there  are  sub 
jects  on  which  the  vote  of  women  would,  I  think,  be  essentially 
different  from  that  of  men.  On  the  subjects  of  temperance, 
public  morals,  and  education,  I  have  no  doubt  that  the  introduc 
tion  of  the  female  vote  into  legislation,  in  states,  counties  and 
cities,  would  produce  results  very  different  from  that  of  men  alone. 
There  are  thousands  of  women  who  would  close  grogshops,  and 
stop  the  traffic  in  spirits,  if  they  had  the  legislative  power ;  and  it 
would  be  well  for  society  if  they  had.  In  fact,  I  think  that  a 
state  can  no  more  afford  to  dispense  with  the  vote  of  women  in 
its  affairs  than  a  family." 

The  whole  article  is  a  common-sense  view  of  the  many- 
sided  and  complex  question,  which  in  its  legal  issue  is  still 
unanswered,  and  the  essay  is  wholesome  reading  for  the  too 
positive  minds,  who  jump  at  conclusions,  with  all  the  more 
confidence  because  their  knowledge  of  contingencies  is 
slight.  Without,  however,  harping  upon  the  question  of 
voting,  Mrs.  Stowe  proceeds  to  mention  the  professions  and 
vocations  open  to  women.  These  are  already  generally  oc 
cupied  by  them,  amply  fulfilling  her  prediction  that  women 
would  excel  in  such  capacities  as  authorship,  literary  work 
of  all  grades,  painting,  sculpture  and  the  subordinate  arts 
of  photography,  coloring  and  finishing,  teaching,  architec- 


UNCLE  TOM'S  CABIN.  359 

ture  and  landscape  gardening,  agencies  of  various  sorts, 
medicine  and  nursing. 

"  A  FAMILY  TALK  ON  KECONSTRUCTION  "  brings  up  an 
admirable  view,  in  its  discussion  of  the  transition  stage 
and  uncertain  condition  of  political  and  social  affairs  in 
this  country,  at  the  close  of  the  war. 

"  Is  WOMAN  A  WORKER"  and  "  THE  TRANSITION,"  treat 
further  of  the  woman  question  in  its  different  phases,  and 
"  BODILY  EELIGION  "  is  what  was  then  a  rather  original 
idea  of  the  duty  of  good  health,  which  has  of  late  been  ear 
nestly  insisted  upon  by  the  small  army  of  metaphysical 
professors,  who  are  known  as  mind  curers.  No  one  can 
raise  objection  to  Mrs.  Stowe's  position  in  the  matter.  She 
goes  no  farther  than  to  urge  a  return  to  natural  conditions 
and  an  acceptance  of  fresh  air,  plain  food,  sleep  and  cleanli 
ness,  and  a  natural  impulse  to  love  God  and  one's  fellow  be 
ings.  She  merely  sought  a  thought-current  of  good  feel 
ing,  which  many  now  believe  may  be  received,  if  the  mind 
is  open  to  its  beneficent  influence. 

"  How  SHALL  WE  ENTERTAIN  OUR  COMPANY  ?"  "  How 
SHALL  WE  BE  AMUSED?"  " DRESS  "  and  "  THE  SOURCES 
OF  BEAUTY  IN  DRESS,"  are  treatises  upon  social  and  aes 
thetic  topics  of  remarkable  lucidity  and  directness.  In  the 
essay  upon  "  THE  CATHEDRAL  "  we  find  a  loving  tribute  to 
a  saint  who  was  embodied  in  the  aged  Aunt  Esther,  (pro 
nounced  by  them  "  Easter,")  who  was  one  of  the  potent  in 
fluences  mentioned  in  the  formation  of  the  character  of  the 
Beecher  children,  and  who  took  up  her  abode  with  the 
Stowes  after  their  return  to  the  east,  and  lived  honored  and 
loved,  with  them  until  her  death. 

"  The  New  Year"  and  "  The  Noble  Army  of  Martyrs  "  are 


360  THE  LIFE   WORK   OF   THE   AUTHOR   OF 

beautiful  and  tender  remembrances  of  the  bleeding  hearts 
everywhere  scattered  through  the  United  States,  for  so 
through  the  victory  of  the  Federal  soldiers  could  they  still 
be  called,  and  a  glowing  tribute  to  the  brave  young  men 
who  had  died  during  the  terrible  struggle  for  the  settle 
ment  of  the  brotherly  quarrel,  which  hinged  upon  the  main 
tenance  or  abolition  of  slavery. 

The  grand  fact  of  the  emancipation  of  the  American 
slaves  which  Mrs.  Stowe  never  expected  to  live  to  see,  had 
been  suddenly  accomplished.  What  no  one  had  seen  his 
way  clear  to  do  as  a  constitutional  right,  was  in  one-half 
hour  effected,  in  the  writing  of  a  war  order. 

The  final  ending  of  a  great  wrong  which  had  seemed  so 
far  distant,  and  only  to  be  obtained  through  legislation,  was 
done  with  a  few  scratches  of  a  pen  held  in  the  gaunt  fingers 
of  that  noble  work  of  God,  honest  Abraham  Lincoln,  so 
soon  to  be  one  of  the  world's  most  illustrious  and  rev 
erenced  martyrs. 

Then  Harriet  Beecher  Stowe  went  to  her  cabinet,  and 
took  from  its  place,  the  bracelet  of  massive  gold  links  which 
the  English  duchess  had  twelve  years  before  clasped  upon 
her  small  wrist  at  Stafford  House,  and  had  engraved  upon 
its  remaining  links,  the  dates  of  Emancipation  in  the  Dis 
trict  of  Columbia  ;  that  of  Freedom  Proclaimed  in  Missouri 
and  Maryland,  and  the  President's  Proclamation,  Abolish 
ing  Slavery  in  the  rebel  states  ! 

The  links  were  then  all  bearing  an  inscription  which 
meant  new  life,  intellectual  advancement  and  spiritual  free 
dom  to  millions  of  degraded  and  fettered  bond-men,  in  the 
leading  countries  of  the  civilized  world.  The  bracelet  is  in 
existence  at  the  time  of  the  present  writing,  and  will  be  pre- 


UNCLE   TOM'S  CABIN.  361 

served  as  a  memento  of  a  life  which  was  a  great  factor  in 
American  civilization.  At  this  period  slavery,  now  a  thing 
of  the  past,  was  discussed  with  renewed  interest,  and  the 
sales  of  "  Uncle  Tom's  Cabin ''  were  tremendously  in 
creased.  The  thoughts  of  the  opposed  sections  of  the  re 
public,  were  turned  to  the  writer  of  the  great  book  which 
had  been  so  important  a  factor  in  the  moral  preparation  of 
the  world  for  this  reform,  and  Mrs.  Stowe  was  overwhelmed 
by  the  hundreds  of  letters  which  drifted  in  upon  her  at  the 
home  in  Hartford.  In  the  pleasant  East  room  where  the 
greenery  of  the  conservatory  gave  a  glimpse  of  perennial 
summer,  and  she  pondered  and  passed  through  the  alembic 
of  her  mind,  the  subjects  and  causes  of  the  hour,  Mrs.  Stowe 
was  called  upon  to  receive  many  visitors. 

Distinguished  people  made  pilgrimages  to  Hartford  to  see 
her,  and  congratulate  and  thank  her.  Scores  of  celebrity 
hunters  came  to  remark  upon  her  personal  appearance  and 
household  environment,  many  representatives  of  the  press 
from  the  larger  cities,  intruded  upon  her  with  the  varying 
demonstrations  and  degrees  of  enterprising  inquisitiveness, 
which  are  many  as  the  shades  of  their  hair  or  the  cut  of  their 
clothes.  All  of  these  and  many  indiscribable  forms  of  intru- 
sion  she  met  with  politeness,  many  of  them  with  real 
pleasure  which  she  showed  in  her  cordial  smile,  and  shining 
soulful  eyes,  and  it  was  indeed  an  aggressive  and  extraordi 
narily  obnoxious  person,  whom  she  did  not  dismiss  with 
forbearance.  Her  manner  was  not  conventional.  No 
words  of  trite  commonplaceness  came  readily  to  her  lips, 
nor  did  any  depreciation  of  her  own  works,  seem  to  be 
necessary  to  the  woman  who  never  employed  the  doubtful 
assumption  of  false  modesty  which  is  easy  to  little  natures. 


362  THE  LIFE  WOKE   OF   THE   AUTHOR   OF 

While  she  seldom  refused  audience  to  visitors,  at  hours 
when  she  was  not  engaged  upon  her  work,  she  always  took 
the  privilege  of  terminating  the  interview  as  soon  as  it  ceased 
to  be  profitable  and,  rising,  said  "  good  bye  "  with  a  clasp 
of  the  hand  and  an  honest  look  into  the  eyes,  which  disarm 
ed  the  possible  impatience  of  one  who  might  have  wished 
a  longer  conversation. 

A  neighbor,  who  once  called  at  an  inopportune  season, 
found  himself  taken  through  an  apartment  where  he  thought 
he  saw  the  figure  of  a  woman  lying  upon  a  lounge.  The 
servant  presently  returned,  saying  that  Mrs.  Stowe  "  was 
composing  "  and  could  not  be  seen.  He  rose  to  leave,  and 
again  passed  through  the  room  and  close  by  the  lounge  up 
on  which  Mrs.  Stowe  rested,  with  closed  eyes.  He  passed 
out  in  some  confusion  of  mind,  which  it  may  be  presumed 
was  not  in  the  least  felt,  by  the  great  author,  who,  if  she 
heard  the  conversation  did  not  permit  it,  nor  the  fact  of  his 
presence,  to  come  into  her  deep  inner  consciousness,  where 
ideas  were  in  process  of  evolution. 

To  preserve  the  liberty  which  is  essential  to  any  great 
life-work,  one  must  deny  the  small  ceremonies  and  ignore 
the  petty  conventionalities  which  guide  less  occupied  lives. 
How  little  conception  have  the  good  people,  who  are  ag 
grieved  because  they  are  sometimes  prevented  from  intruding 
upon  the  attention  of  an  author,  of  the  imperative  de 
mands  upon  the  time,  and  the  drain  upon  the  resources 
physical  and  mental,  which  are  with  difficulty  supported, 
and  will  admit  no  fresh  imposition,  through  the  thoughtless 
selfishness  of  friends  and  lion  hunters. 

A  lady  from  Cincinnati  came  to  Hartford  some  years  ago, 
and,  naturally  anxious  to  see  the  writer  of  the  works  she 


HARRIET  BEECHER  STOWE  AT  WORK. 


UNCLE   TOM'S  CABIN.  363 

had  found  so  enjoyable  and  profitable,  called  at  Mrs.  Stowe's 
house  with  considerable  timidity,  just  to  tell  her  how  much 
she  admired  her  and  longed  to  touch  her  hand.  Accosting  a 
small  woman  in  a  shade  hat,  who  was  working  among  the 
flowers  in  the  yard,  she  asked  for  Mrs.  Stowe.  The  small 
figure  arose,  looked  searchingly  at  her  and  said  simply  "I 
am  Mrs.  Stowe,"  and  waited,  half  turned  towards  her  flow 
ers,  for  the  visitor  to  speak  again. 

The  caller  stammered  out  a  few  words  which  half 
expressed  her  feelings,  and  Mrs.  Stowe  pulling  off  her 
glove,  clasped  her  hand  cordially,  saying  she  was  glad  if 
she  had  been  able  to  suggest  anything  to  her.  Then,  cut 
ting  a  few  flowers  she  gave  them  to  the  visitor,  and  saying 
"  good  bye "  in  her  simple  manner,  went  into  the  house 
without  another  word  or  look,  seeming  in  an  instant  to 
forget  the  presence  of  the  lady  who  stood  paralyzed  with 
surprise.  She  came  away,  bringing  the  flowers  and  a  remem 
brance  of  Harriet  Beecher  Stowe,  which,  when  the  confus 
ing  of  the  two  minute's  interview  was  over,  at  first 
deepened  into  chagrin  at  her  prompt  dismissal,  but  soon 
merged  into  pleasure  and  personal  admiration,  as  she  recall 
ed  the  friendly  clasp  of  her  hand  and  the  look  of  honest 
greeting  which  shone  in  the  grey  eyes,  telling  more  than 
her  lips,  of  the  sincerity  of  her  welcome. 

Of  her  characteristic  abstraction  or  absent-mindedness 
which  was  frequently  a  voluntary  self- withdrawal,  a  power 
which  she  naturally  possessed  and  had  cultivated  during 
years  of  mental  labor,  there  are  many  stories.  One  which 
came  from  a  lady  who  was  the  child  witness  to  the  episode, 
suggests  the  extreme  of  her  peculiarity,  which,  in  many  in 
stances,  seemed  to  amount  to  neglect  of  social  proprieties. 


364  THE  LIFE  WORK  OF   THE   AUTHOR   OF 

One  summer  the  Stowe  family  spent  several  months  at 
Bethel,  Maine,  enjoying  the  delightful  air  and  beautiful 
scenery  of  that  region.  Soon  after  their  advent,  numerous 
residents  and  summer  visitors  asked  that  Mrs.  Stowe  would 
give  them  a  reception.  To  this  she  acceded,  showing,  how 
ever,  some  wonderment  that  they  should  care  to  see  her. 

The  afternoon  designated  came,  and  the  proud  landlady 
went  to  inform  her  famous  guest,  that  many  people  were 
already  in  the  parlor.  To  her  surprise,  Mrs.  Stowe  was 
not  in  her  room,  nor  about  the  premises  and  did  not  appear 
until  nightfall,  when  she  unconcernedly  walked  in  after  all 
the  guests  tired  of  waiting  had  departed. 

It  then  appeared,  that  quite  forgetting  the  reception,  she 
had  taken  the  narrator  of  the  story  who  was  then  a  little 
girl,  by  the  hand  and  gone  for  a  long  tramp  up  the  hillside 
and  into  the  woods  where  they  had  a  delightful  day,  un 
mindful  of  the  outraged  and  disappointed  callers  who  wait 
ed  in  vain.  It  is  also  averred,  that  the  great  author  only 
smiled  in  her  far-away  manner,  when  reproached  by  her 
friends.  Neither  did  she  appoint  another  day  when  she  would 
be  "  at  home  "  and  was  thereafter  undisturbed  in  her  rest, 
uninterrupted  in  her  quiet  pleasure. 

In  1865  when  the  civil  war  was  drawing  to  a  close,  Tick- 
nor  &  Fields  saw  an  opening  for  a  magazine  for  boys  and 
girls,  and  in  January  appeared  the  first  number  of  "  Our 
Young  Folks,"  a  magazine  which  continued  in  that  form 
for  nine  years,  and  was  eventually  merged  in  that  Prince  of 
all  youth's  magazines,  "  St.  Nicholas.'' 

Among  the  contributors  were  Thomas  Bailey  Aldrich, 
T.  W.  Higginson,  Dr.  Dio  Lewis,  Mayne  Eeid,  Kose  Terry, 
Louisa  M.  Alcott,  Oliver  Optic,  Mrs.  A.  M.  Diaz,  with  an 


UNCLE   TOM'S  CABIN.  365 

occasional  poem  by  Whittier,  Longfellow  and  K.  H.  Stod- 
dard.  The  editors  also  supplied  suggestive  and  entertain 
ing  articles,  making  it  a  collection  of  the  most  delectable 
intellectual  viands,  which  up  to  that  time  had  ever  been  set 
before  favored  youth.  Mrs.  Stowe  wrote  the  leading  article 
which  was  the  first  of  a  series  in  another  new  line,  and  one 
which  proved  particularly  charming  to  her  young  friends, 
and  will  remain  a  most  interesting  epoch  to  those  who 
knew  her  personally,  as  in  these  sketches  about  squirrels, 
and  birds,  hens,  chickens  and  ducks,  cats,  dogs,  mice,  and 
insects  she  has  put  much  of  herself,  her  personal  tenderness 
for  all  little  folks  in  feathers  and  fur,  and  the  solicitude  and 
fondness  for  lesser  creation,  which  is  a  characteristic  of  the 
greatest  minds  and  noblest  hearts. 

What  boy  could  read  "  Hum,  the  Son  of  Buz,"  and  not 
be  awakened  to  the  infinite  depth  of  protecting  love  with 
which  this  author  regarded  a  poor  humming  bird,  and  vividly 
aware  of  many  tiny  graces  and  intelligent  actions  on  the 
part  of  a  being  which  he  had  before  only  attempted  to 
catch  in  his  net?  "  Aunt  Esther's  Eules  and  Stories,"  "  Our 
Country  Neighbors,"  "  Sir  Walter  Scott,"  and  the  stories 
of  "  Our  Dogs,"  which  recount  the  personal  appearance  and 
characters  of  the  canine  pets  which  conferred  happiness  and 
varied  amusement  to  the  Stowe  family  during  many  years, 
are  full  of  simple  literary  charm,  and  a  graceful  allusiveness 
which  fitly  ornaments  the  spontaneous  feeling  and  loving 
tenderness,  which  appear  in  every  paragraph.  These 
sketches,  which  are  collected  under  the  captions  of  "  Queer 
Little  People  "  and  "  A  Dog's  Mission,"  were  followed  by 
the  story  of  "  Little  Pussy  Willow,"  "  The  Daisy's  First 
Winter  "  and  "  The  Minister's  Watermelons,"  gathered  an 


366  THE   LIFE   WORK   OF  THE   AUTHOR   OF 

eager  audience  among  the  young  readers  of  the  delightful 
magazine  which  looked  in  upon  so  many  American  homes 
each  month. 

These  collections  were  subsequently  published  in  book 
form  by  Ticknor  &  Fields  and  their  successors,  and  ap 
peared  simultaneously  in  England  and  Scotland,  furnishing 
wholesome  entertainment  to  the  children  of  the  admirers 
of  "Uncle  Tom's  Cabin"  and  the  subsequent  books  of 
Mrs.  Stowe. 


CHAPTEE  XVII. 

MRS.  STOWE'S  FIRST  VISIT  TO  THE  SOUTH  IN  1865.   PURCHASE 

OF  AN  ESTATE  UPON  THE  ST.  JOHN'S  RIVER.    "  MEN  OF  OUR 

TIMES  ;  OR,  LEADING"  PATRIOTS  OF  THE  DAY."  EIGHTEEN 
BIOGRAPHICAL  SKETCHES  OF  STATESMEN,  GENERALS  AND 

ORATORS.  "  RELIGIOUS  POEMS."  MRS.  STOWE  APPEARS  A 
CO -EDITOR  WITH  DONALD  G.  MITCHELL  (iK.  MARVEL)  OF 
HEARTH  AND  HOME.  MRS.  STOWE'S  THIRD  GREAT  WORK 
APPEARS  IN  1869.  "  OLD  TOWN  FOLKS,"  LAID  IN  THE 
LAST  CENTURY  IN  THE  TOWN  OF  NATICK,  MASSACHUSETTS. 
SAM  LAWSON  AND  OTHER  CHARACTERS  WHICH  HAVE 
BECOME  CLASSIC.  PROFESSOR  STOWE  FURNISHED  MUCH 

MATERIAL  FOR  THE  WORK,  AND  IS  DESCRIBED  AS  THE 
HERO  OF  THE  STORY.  THE  PECULIAR  EXPERIENCES 
OF  "THE  VISIONARY  BOY."  PROFESSOR  STOWE'S  OWN 
PSYCHOLOGICAL  PECULIARITY.  CORRESPONDENCE  WITH 
GEORGE  ELIOT  UPON  THE  SUBJECT  OF  SPIRITUALISM.  "  SAM 
LAWSON'S  FIRESIDE  STORIES." 

In  1865,  after  the  war  was  finished,  Mrs.  Stowe  for  the 
first  time  in  her  life,  went  South.  She  spent  some  weeks  in 
Florida  at  Jacksonville,  at  a  plantation  upon  the  St.  John's 
river,  and  later,  purchased  an  estate  at  Mandarin.  Mrs. 
Stowe  made  this  purchase  with  a  view  to  the  comfort  and 
betterment  of  her  oldest  son  Frederick,  who  had  been  from 
his  youth,  afflicted  with  a  delicate  and  nervous  organiza 
tion,  and  a  weak  will,  which  could  not  restrain  him  from 


368  THE  LIFE  WORK   OF   THE   AUTHOR   OF 

indulgence  in  stimulants,  which  accentuated  his  misery,  and 
made  his  unhappy  life  a  deeper  sorrow  to  his  friends. 

Under  the  supervision  of  a  practical  planter,  the  land 
was  cleared,  orange  trees  were  set  and  a  house  built  upon 
the  banks  of  the  St.  John's  river,  under  the  shade  of  some 
immense  live  oak  trees.  This  place  became  the  much 
loved  winter  home  which  George  Eliot  in  one  of  her  letters 
to  Mrs.  Stowe  refers  to  as  "your  Western  Sorrento." 
Thither  were  annually  transported  the  lares  and  penates  of 
the  family,  animate  as  well  as  inanimate,  for  some  pet  dogs 
and  cats  made  the  trip  several  times,  returning  with  the 
family,  at  the  approach  of  warm  weather,  to  their  Hartford 
home. 

Mrs.  Stowe  became  deeply  interested  in  the  building  of 
an  Episcopal  church  at  Mandarin,  lending  effective  pecuni 
ary  assistance,  as  well  as  personal  aid  in  collecting  funds. 

She  humorously  related  to  the  writer  how  she  once  be 
came  an  involuntary  and  successful  speculator  in  real  estate, 
— buying  a  small  piece  of  land  at  $200,  and  selling  it 
afterwards  for  $7,000,  a  fair  profit,  she  thought  upon  the 
investment.  The  money  was  put  to  good  use  in  the  pur 
chase  of  a  parsonage  for  her  youngest  son,  when  he  became 
pastor  of  the  Windsor  Avenue  Congregational  church  in 
Hartford. 

Professor  Stowe  who  was  now  at  liberty  to  employ  his 
profound  knowledge  of  ancient  history,  Eastern  languages, 
ancient  and  modern,  as  well  as  his  rich  fund  of  Biblical  lore, 
in  giving  to  the  world  what  had  heretofore  been  locked  in 
the  ancient  languages  and  specially  studied  by  theological  stu 
dents,  was  deeply  absorbed  upon  a  work,  which  was  pub- 


UNCLE  TOM'S  CABIN  369 

lishedtwo  years  later  by  the  Hartford  Publishing  Company, — • 
"  The  Origin  and  History  of  the  Books  of  the  New  Testament.'7 

Of  a  very  social  nature,  Professor  Stowe  naturally  talked 
of  his  work  and  his  family  were  called  upon  to  listen  to 
his  conclusions.  Mrs.  Stowe  as  usual  offered  many  sug 
gestions  of  value,  receiving  in  return  practical  assistance 
from  him  in  the  literary  work  which  pressed  heavily  upon 
her. 

During  the  year  1867  Mrs.  Stowe  prepared  a  set  of  bio 
graphical  sketches  which  was  published  early  in  1868,  being 
issued  by  the  Hartford  Publishing  Company,  aby  subscrip 
tion  only."  The  collection  made  an  octavo  volume  of  some 
five  hundred  and  seventy-five  pages,  with  eighteen  fine  steel 
plate  portraits.  This  house  had  made  a  success  of  Profes 
sor  Stowe's  book  upon  "  The  Origin  and  History  of  the 
Books  of  the  New  Testament,"  selling  some  sixty  thousand 
copies.  They  sold  about  forty  thousand  of  Mrs.  Stowe's 
"  Men  of  our  Times,"  paying  her  a  handsome  royalty,  be 
sides  an  extra  thousand  dollars  for  the  sketch  of  her  brother 
Henry  Ward  Beecher,  which  she  rather  reluctantly  sup 
plied. 

The  volume,  "Men  of  Our  Times;  or  Leading  Patriots 
of  the  Bay,"  comprised  narratives  of  the  lives  and  deeds  of 
American  statesmen,  generals  and  orators,  including  bio 
graphical  sketches  and  anecdotes  of  Lincoln,  Grant,  Garri 
son,  Sumner,  Chase,  "Wilson,  Greeley,  Farragut,  Andrew 
Colfax,  Stanton,  Douglas,  Buckingham,  Sherman,  Sheridan, 
Howard,  Phillips  and  Beecher. 

It  was  appropriately  dedicated  to  the  young  men  of 
America,  and  in  the  preface  where  the  writer  speaks  of 
herself  as  the  editor,  thus  acknowledging  her  indebtedness 


370  THE   LIFE   WORK   OF   THE    AUTHOR   OF 

to  various  sources  from  which  she  collected  her  facts,  she 
gives  this  terse  and  cheering  paragraph . 

"It  will  be  found  when  the  sum  of  all  these  biographies  is  added 
up,  that  the  qualities  which  have  won  this  great  physical  and 
moral  victory  have  not  been  so  much  exceptional  gifts  of  genius  or 
culture,  as  those  more  attainable  ones  which  belong  to  man's  moral 
nature." 

This  line  of  literary  work,  which  may  perhaps  without 
disparagement  be  called  mechanical,  as  it  certainly  is  not 
imaginative  if  the  biographer  be  true  to  his  high  calling,  is 
alas !  frequently  made  to  serve  base  uses,  in  which  good 
will  becomes  the  father  to  fair  statement,  or  personal  bias 
sees  through  a  glass  darkly,  the  doubtful  incidents  of  a  ca 
reer.  But  Mrs.  Stowe  demonstrated,  to  the  surprise  of  her 
friends,  the  possession  of  a  faculty  which  is  supposed  to  be 
quite  apart  from  that  of  a  graceful  essayist,  of  a  successful 
novel  writer  or  the  swift  re-incarnation  of  painful  realities 
into  such  a  burning  creation  as  that  of  "  Uncle  Tom's 
Cabin." 

Mrs.  Stowe's  able  handling  of  the  complex  political 
questions,  and  the  sifting  of  the  essential  factors  from  a 
mass  of  materials  bearing  upon  events  in  the  history  of  the 
war  which  had  lately  closed,  was  natural  to  her  logical 
mind  and  clear  judgment,  and  enhanced  by  the  intense 
interest  with  which  she  had  for  years,  followed  the  succeed 
ing  events  in  our  nation's  history.  Men  were  events,  in 
those  surcharged  times,  and  Mrs.  Stowe's  sketches  of  refor 
mers,  politicians,  generals  and  naval  heroes  are  instinct  with 
individual  life  and  are  rare  memorials  of  men  all  of  whom 
but  one,  Lincoln,  were  then  living ;  more  than  two  thirds  of 


UNCLE   TOM'S  CABIN.  371 

whom,  have  now  with  their  illustrious  biographer,  passed 
into  the  "  undiscovered  country." 

In  the  same  year  Mrs.  Stowe  published  a  small  volume 
of  Eeligious  Poems.  It  comprised  twenty-eight  of  her 
published  contributions  to  The  Independent  and  other  peri 
odicals.  They  are  unassuming  in  style,  but  sweetly  and 
tenderly  religious  in  sentiment,  with  flavors  of  the  woods 
and  sky  and  youthful  memories  of  music  and  poetry,  per 
vading  them  all,  as  they  did  her  prose  writings. 

In  Dec.,  1868,  Mrs.  Stowe,  in  answer  to  the  solicitations 
of  the  projector  appeared  as  co-editor,  with  Donald  G. 
Mitchell  (Ik.  Marvel),  of  a  weekly  illustrated  journal  called 
"  Hearth  and  Home."  It  was  devoted  to  the  interests  of 
the  "  Farm,  Garden  and  Fireside."  Joseph  B.  Lyman  and 
Mary  M.  Dodge,  the  present  editor  of  St.  Nicholas,  were 
associate  editors.  Among  the  contributors  were  Oliver 
Wendell  Holmes,  William  Cullen  Bryant,  J.  T.  Trow- 
bridge,  Grace  Greenwood,  Eose  Terry  and  other  well  known 
writers  of  high  literary  merit.  Mrs.  Stowe,  who  followed 
Mr.  Mitchell  in  the  editorial  columns  in  the  first  number, 
wrote  a  characteristic  "Greeting,"  and  furnished  a  long 
article  descriptive  of  "  How  we  kept  Thanksgiving  at  Old- 
town."  The  editor-in-chief  appended  a  note  announcing  it 
as  a  foretaste  of  a  new  novel  from  Mrs.  Stowe's  pen,  which 
was  to  appear  the  following  season,  and  sure  enough,  here 
nearly  all  the  personages  which  later  appeared  in  "  Old 
Town  Folks,"  made  their  first  bow.  It  was  a  draft  from 
the  salient  points  of  her  book  then  in  preparation. 

Bat  Mrs.  Stowe's  precarious  health  forbade  any  engage 
ment  so  exacting  as  that  of  editorship,  and  her  connection 
with  Hearth  and  Home  continued  but  a  few  months. 


372  THE   LIFE   WORK   OF  THE  AUTHOR  OF 

As  Mrs.  Stovve  became  past  middle  life  the  fits  of  ab 
straction  which  were  peculiar  and  natural  to  her,  increased 
and  deepened  to  so  great  a  degree,  that  her  personal  appear 
ance  which  had  always  been  quite  remarkable  in  various 
Ways,  became  decidedly  eccentric.  A  friend  who  was  en 
tertaining  her  in  New  York  about  this  time,  relates  having 
invited  a  company  of  enthusiastic  admirers,  a  number  of 
whom  were  young  ladies,  to  meet  her  at  luncheon.  As  the 
time  arrived,  the  hostess  observed  with  considerable  dis 
may  that  her  distinguished  guest  was  falling  into  a  state 
of  moodiness,  which  augered  little  for  the  entertainment  of 
the  expectant  company. 

When  the  ladies  arrived  and  were  presented,  Mrs.  Stowe 
greeted  them  with  the  far-away  expression  which  was  be 
coming  habitual,  and  sat  through  the  luncheon  absorbed 
in  thought,  speaking  only  once  of  her  own  volition,  when 
she  requested  some  one  to  "  Please  pass  the  butter," 
and  immediately  relapsed  into  impenetrable  mental  soli 
tude.  It  amusingly  suggests  those  people  so  clev 
erly  described  in  one  of  the  essays  of  whimsical  young 
Winthrop  Macworth  Praed,  who  in  the  midst  of  noisy 
crowds  or  the  attacks  of  direct  conversationalists,  were 
still — alone.  Mrs.  Stowe  afterwards  declared  that  she  was 
thinking  out  scenes  for  "Old  Town  Folks,"  which  story 
she  then  had  in  hand. 

Early  in  1869,  Fields,  Osgood  &  Co.  published  this  book, 
which  must  be  counted  as  the  third  of  Mrs.  Stowe's  great 
works  and,  though  it  is  open  to  criticism  on  several  points, 
judging  as  we  must  from  the  effect  of  a  work,  rather  than 
by  its  conformation  to  certain  canons  laid  out  by  literary 
law  makers,  it  must  be  pronounced  one  of  her  most  power- 


HARRIET  BEECHER  STOWE  AS  THE  AUTHOR  OF  OLD  TOWN  FOLKS. 


UNCLE   TOM'S   CABIN.  373 

fill  and  characteristic  works.  Its  popular  success,  suffi 
ciently  attests  to  the  intrinsic  worth  of  its  sentiments  and 
the  picturesque  power  of  its  delineations. 

Next  in  numbers  to  the  people  who  universally  respond 
to  a  mention  of  "  Uncle  Tom's  Cabin,"  are  the  vast  army 
of  readers  who  know  "  Old  Town  Folks,"  and  instantly  ex 
press  their  enjoyment  of  it.  Though  announced  and  some 
times  spoken  of  as  a  novel,  it  cannot,  strictly  speaking,  be 
characterized  as  such.  It  is  rather,  a  series  of  vivid  and 
natural  pictures  of  New  England  life,  near  the  close  of  the 
last  century,  loosely  strung  together  upon  the  romance  of 
four  young  persons,  a  tale  so  uneventful  in  its  course,  and 
mild  in  its  denouments  as  to  scarcely  deserve  the  name  of 
plot. 

In  "  Uncle  Tom's  Cabin  "  the  author's  strength  was  in 
her  burning  earnestness  of  purpose  in  laying  existing 
facts  before  the  Christian  world.  In  "Minister's  Wooing'' 
her  power  was  in  the  practical  grasp  and  forcible  presen 
tation  of  the  results  of  certain  theological  doctrines. 
In  "  Old  Town  Folks "  she  excels  most  rarely  in  the 
admirable  depictions  of  characters  peculiar  to  the  local 
ity  and  time,  in  which  the  story  is  laid.  The  word  char 
acters  is  used  advisedly,  for  Harriet  Beecher  Stowe 
looked  at  the  world  from  the  outside,  believing  that 
actions  are  materialized  motives,  and  results,  the 
accumulation  of  intentions.  She  had  no  taste  for  the 
analytical  style  which  tends  ever  toward  a  dyspeptic 
anxiety  for  the  workings  of  internal  springs,  often  dis 
appointing  expectation  in  resultant  effects. 

The  story  is  laid  in  the  town  of  Natick,  Massachusetts, 
at  a  period  when  New  England  was  the  seed-bed  of  Amer- 


374  THE  LIFE   WORK  OF  THE   AUTHOR  OF 

lean  civilization.  The  author  observed  that  New  England 
had  been  to  our  republic  what  the  Dorian  Hive  was  to 
Greece;  a  capital  place  to  emigrate  from,  whence  were  car 
ried  the  ideas  and  principles  which,  disseminated  over  the 
vast  area  of  our  country,  have  grown  into  the  tense  and 
strong  fibre  of  the  American  character.  The  author,  who 
chose  to  write  "  Old  Town  Folks  "  under  the  pseudonym  of 
"  Horace  Holyoke,"  acknowledges  her  studies  for  this  object 
to  have  been  pre-Kaphselite,  drawn  from  real  characters, 
real  scenes  and  real  incidents.  Some  of  her  material  was 
gleaned  from  early  colonial  history,  but  many  of  the  char 
acters  were  drawn  from  conversations  with  Professor  Stowe, 
who  had  rare  descriptive  and  mimetical  powers,  and  sug 
gested  weaving  some  of  his  personal  recollections  and 
experiences  into  the  work. 

The  portion  laid  in  "  Cloudland  "  plainly  indicates  rem 
iniscences  of  her  youth  at  Litchfield.  The  whole  was 
connected  by  the  genius  of  the  writer,  into  the  remarkable 
work  so  familiar  to  American  readers,  by  whom  it  is 
fondly  prized  and  believed  in,  as  a  rarely  truthful  and 
graphic  description  of  the  New  England  people,  from  whom 
sprung  all  the  intellectual  strength  and  firm  principle  which 
dwell  in  the  American  character. 

The  social  history  of  Old  Town,  as  it  is  known  in  these 
traditions,  transpired  during  Professor  Stowe's  youth,  and 
much  of  it  is  reproduced  in  this  story,  which  is  considered 
one  of  the  most  artistic  of  its  gifted  author.  It  appeared 
more  easy,  taking  much  of  it  from  her  husband's  childish 
experiences,  to  write  the  book  in  the  first  person,  and  from 
a  masculine  standpoint.  She  must  put  herself  into  a  boy's 
shoes  to  know  Sam  Lawson,  who  was  an  early  friend  of 


UNCLE  TOM'S  CABIN.  375 

Professor  Stowe,  as  she  lias  made  us  know  him,  the  tj^pical, 
Yanke'e  do-nothing  and  universal  genius.  Glimpses  of 
him  we  have  seen  embodied  in  various  thriftless  and 
intolerable  men,  who  yet  had  a  vast  and  fascinating  range 
of  homely  lore,  and  that  natural  faculty  to  do  interesting 
things  which  is  such  a  delight  to  youth.  As  well  try  to 
describe  Sam  Lawson  to  the  readers  of  this  chapter,  as  to 
tell  them  of  Uncle  Tom.  He  is  as  well  known  as  George 
Washington,  and  alas !  perhaps  dearer  to  the  hearts  of  av 
erage  republican  humanity.  He  is  perhaps  the  best  instance 
of  character  drawing,  ever  done  by  the  artist  who  made  such 
portraiture  her  specialty. 

Uncle  "Fliakim,"  the  dear  Grandmother,  Old  Crab  Smith 
Miss  Asphyxia,  and  Miss  Mehitable  Hossiter,  are  indisput 
ably  real  people.  They  still  exist,  possibly  modified  in 
form  by  the  friction  of  advancing  civilization,  which  ever 
tends  to  wear  away  individual  peculiarities  and  reduce  out 
ward  demeanor  to  a  dead  level  of  cultivated  repression,  but 
we  know  them,  or  have  known  them  at  some  time. 

The  stately  Congregational  minister  in  his  white  wig  and 
impressive  silk  gown  with  ruffles  at  his  throat  and  wrists, 
his  awe-inspiring,  brocaded  "  Lady,"  the  colored  retainers 
who  felt  but  lightly  the  fetters  which  bound  them  to  their 
Colonial  owners,  and  the  remnants  of  the  tribes  of  Massa 
chusetts  Indians  who  are  introduced  as  a  sort  of  living 
scenic  effect,  we  do  not  know.  But  we  can  easily  believe  in 
them,  since  all  testimony  goes  to  prove  that  they  were 
features  of  the  time. 

They  all  live  and  speak  and  possess  distinct  personality, 
but  the  figures  of  Harry  and  Tina  Percival  do  not  strike  us 
as  real  young  people.  Tina,  seems  not  half  so  charming  as  the 


376  THE  LIFE   WORK   OF   THE   AUTHOR   OF 

author  would  have  us  feel,  in  fact  is  a  repetition  of  similar 
failures  who  appear  up  to  this  time  in  Mrs.  Stowe's  writ 
ing,  whenever  she  essays  to  depict  a  pretty,  frivolous  dar 
ling,  who  beneath  all  her  fascinating  lightness  and  brilliant 
scintillations  (which  the  reader  cannot  see)  is  said  to  have 
a  fund  of  moral  strength  and  right  feeling,  Harry,  who  is 
the  poetical  counterpart  of  the  hero,  is,  in  spite  of  the 
author's  intentions,  something  of  a  prig.  Neither  does 
Horace  Holyoke  take  on  the  rounded  personality  which  we 
expect  and  desire  in  the  scholarly,  nervous,  high  strung  and 
conscientious  boy  which  he  should  appear.  The  inference 
is  forced  upon  one,  that  she  has  not  personally  known  such 
personalities  and  is  not  able  to  construct  symmetrical  char 
acters,  from  stray  bits  of  disjointed  skeletons. 

The  interest  and  value  of  the  work  taken  as  a  whole,  would 
seem  to  raise  it  above  criticism  of  these  characters  for  it  is 
no  less  art  which  employs  models,  when  the  portraiture  is  a 
perfect  representation  of  life  and  the  composition  well 
balanced,  and  carefully  .managed  as  to  tone  and  color,  but 
they  demonstrate  the  fact  that  imagination  was  not  one  of 
the  special  gifts  of  Harriet  Beecher  Stowe.  She  possessed 
rare  descriptive  power,  a  pure  quality  of  humor,  shrewd 
ness,  philosophy,  and  a  certain  happy  selection  of  language 
which  gave  a  graphic  touch  to  the  whole,  but  where  purely 
creative  genius  was  needed,  she  was  not  successful. 

Indeed,  her  natural  make-up,  almost  of  necessity  pre 
cluded  this  faculty,  which  is  the  concomitant  of  pure  fic 
tion.  Its  resultant  action  was  remarkably  absent  in  her 
life  and  social  intercourse,  as  she  never  seemed  to  find  a 
necessity  for  the  polite  prevarications  or  quick  inventions 
which  are  sometimes  employed  to  annoint  the  wheels  of 


UNCLE   TOM'S  CABIN.  377 

social  life.  Her  inherent  and  instinctive  honesty,  her  habit 
ual  concern  for  the  higher  certitudes  of  existence  and '  for 
historical  facts,  were  not  related  to  the  genius  of  fiction.  She 
had  rather,  the  talent  for  biography,  having  the  memory 
for  such  work,  and  the  perception  of  the  logic  of  events, 
which  has  made  her  a  historian,  rather  than  a  poet. 

It  is  indeed  a  poverty  of  invention  which  necessitates  or 
permits  the  chief  characters  in  "Old  Town  Folks"  to  make 
their  advent  as  waifs  of  foreign  birth,  and  orphans  who  are 
thrown  upon  the  charity  of  cross-grained  relatives,  who  in 
various  ways,  short  of  absolute  cruelty,  make  their  young 
lives  miserable  ;  to  re-incarnate  her  typical  minister,  Lyman 
Beecher,  and  schoolmaster,  John  P.  Brace,  under  the  thin 
disguise  of  new  names ;  introducing  again  the  woman  of 
high  education  and  deep  feeling  who  suffers  under  the  cruel 
logic  of  the  theology  of  the  period,  who  originated  in  Mrs. 
Fisher,  lived  in  "  Minister's  Wooing  "  as  Mrs.  Marvyn,  and 
again  completes  a  short  cycle  and  is  born  in  "  Old  Town 
Folks  "  as  Esther  A  very ;  and  showing  forth  the  fascinations 
and  villainies  of  a  cousin  of  Aaron  Burr,  as  the  only  possible 
conqueror  of  the  well-read  but  inexperienced,  country  girls. 

The  reader  loses  faith  in  these  persons  who  walk  as 
cheerfully  upon  the  stage  as  if  they  were  a  "  new  attrac 
tion,"  and  wishes  the  artist  could  renew  her  selection  of 
choice  models.  But  these  portraits  taken  from  persons 
she  had  known,  and  the  discussion  of  social  and  political 
questions  always  strongly  flavored  by  theology,  were  Mrs. 
Stowe's  natural,  inherited  stock  in  trade.  This  was  her 
world,  her  line  of  thought,  her  idea  of  intellectual  and 
physical  existence.  It  was  doubtless,  taken  all  in  all,  the 
most  remarkable  literary  endowment  of  the  generation 


378  THE  LIFE  WORK  OF   THE   AUTHOR   OF 

which  rolled  in  a  wave  of  talented  American  authors.  In 
it  we  see  reproduced  her  own  spirit,  tastes,  preferences  and 
beliefs.  If  for  nothing  else,  "  Old  Town  Folks  "  is  valuable  as 
a  suggestion  of  her  mental  environment  at  mature  life,  for  the 
conversations  and  tenor  of  life  at  Hartford,  rested  upon  such 
topics  and  questions  as  these  which  underlay  the  story  of 
"  Old  Town  Folks,"  and  formed  a  solid  basis  upon  which  to 
rest  her  opinions  upon  themes  of  recent  occurrence,  all  over 
the  world.  It  may  be  said  that  Mrs.  Stowe  had  no  literary 
life  in  its  social  sense.  That  while  she  met  and  talked 
with  many  of  the  gifted  writers  and  thinkers  of  her  day, 
she  formed  no  intimacies,  was  not  in  the  least  diverted  from 
her  own  individuality,  or  wrought  upon  by  the  gradual 
change,  which  was  coming  over  the  methods  and  manners 
of  literature. 

She  remained  first  and  always  a  Beecher,  living  in  her 
recollections  of  New  England  people,  contented,  more, 
proud  to  dwell  upon  her  family,  past  and  present,  and 
to  let  the  less  pronounced  thinking  world,  go  on  its  way, 
as  she  went  on  hers.  In  the  second  place,  she  was  a 
Stowe,  affectionately  devoted  to  her  husband,  whom  she 
fervently  respected  as  a  scholar  of  deep  research,  and  ac 
quirements  which  took  hold  upon  the  past,  through  ancient 
languages  even  to  the  word  of  God ;  who  was  furthermore 
possessed  of  versatile  gifts,  and  some  spiritual  insights  and 
perceptions,  which  were  quite  outside  of  common,  human 
experience. 

The  fact  that  Mrs.  Stowe  wrote  to  George  Eliot  with 
whom  she  entered  into  an  interesting  correspondence  at 
about  this  period,  that  Professor  Stowe  was  the  "  visionary 
boy,"  whom  she  made  the  hero  of  "  Old  Town  Folks,"  and 


UNCLE  TOM'S  CABIN.  379 

that  the  experiences  which  she  related,  were  phenomena  of 
frequent  occurrence  with  him,  and  had  been  so  even  from  his 
earliest  childhood,  makes  relevant  a  notice  of  some  of  the 
psychological  conditions  which  were  peculiar  to  the  scholar 
ly  man,  one  who  was  by  temperament  and  trend  of  mind 
as  far  as  possible  from  the  credulity  or  hallucination 
commonly  attributed  to  believers  in  manifestations  that  ap 
pear  to  be  supernatural.  The  descriptions  of  clairvoyant 
phenomena  which  in  themselves  scarcely  give  adequate 
excuse  for  their  frequent  introduction  in  the  experiences  of 
Horace  Holyoke  the  hero  of  u  Old  Town  Folks,"  take  on 
new  significance  and  interest,  when  it  appears  that  they 
are  unexaggerated  instances  of  the  spiritual  visitations,  if 
one  chooses  to  so  call  them,  which  were  a  life  long,  and 
recurring  fact,  with  Professor  Stowe. 

Certain  it  is  that  Professor  Stowe  came  into  the  world  pos 
sessed  of  an  uncommon  attribute,  which  may  be  adversely 
considered,  either  as  a  sixth  sense  revealing  hidden  things,  or 
as  peculiar  hallucinations.  The  latter  conclusion,  and  the 
more  natural  one  perhaps,  is  hardly  compatible  with  his 
clear  mentality  and  the  sound  judgment,  which  he 
brought  to  bear  upon  this  phenomena  itself,  no  less  than 
upon  all  other  topics.  Neither  is  the  theory  held  by 
Professor  Park  of  Andover  that  his  sight  of  things  which 
were  not  apparent  to  other  people  was  due  to  a  disease  of 
the  optic  nerve,  altogether  reasonable  in  consideration  of 
the  nervous  ebullition  which  preceded  and  accompanied 
his  visions,  as  has  been  described  in  "Old  Town  Folks." 
The  conclusion  must  be  from  the  reader's  point  of 
view.  Suffice  to  say  that  he  was  at  times  utterly  unable 
to  distinguish  between  tangible  objects  and  the  visions 


380  THE  LIFE   WORK   OF   THE   AUTHOK   OF 

which  passed  before  his  mind's  eye.  In  early  childhood 
he  was  quite  unaware  that  he  held  any  power  which  was 
not  common  to  humanity,  supposing,  naturally,  that  all 
people  saw  as  he  did,  objects  which  were  far  out  of  reach 
of  the  eye. 

As  a  near-sighted  child  sooner  or  later  becomes  aware 
that  it  is  wanting  in  the  far  sight  which  is  common,  so 
Calvin  E.  Stowe  early  inferred  that  his  friends  could  not 
see  absent  things,  and  departed  souls  as  he  did,  and  he 
became  as  a  young  man,  somewhat  in  awe  of  his 
power,  and  loth  to  speak  of  it.  When,  however,  in  later 
years  he  recognized  it  as  a  peculiarity  which  he  shared 
with  a  few  other  people,  he  came  to  regard  it  as  an 
interesting  fact,  and  conversed  freely  with  intimate  friends 
as  to  his  sights  and  perceptions.  In  common  with  most 
other  intelligent  people,  and  especially  so,  because  of  his 
strange  experiences,  Professor  and  Mrs.  Stowe  became  deep 
ly  interested  in  psychological  manifestations.  The  matter 
was  under  frequent  discussion  and  with  friends  they  evoked 
surprising  manifestations  from  "  Planchette  "  and  attended 
various  so-called  spiritualistic  seances  in  New  York.  While 
in  Home,  Mrs.  Stowe  in  company  with  Elizabeth  Barrett 
Browning  and  others,  received  some  surprising  evidences  of 
things  occult  and  strange. 

Upon  this  theme  much  of  the  correspondence  with  George 
Eliot  dwelt,  and  Mrs.  Stowe  most  feelingly  interpreted  the 
wave  of  spiritualism  then  rushing  over  America,  as  a  sort 
of  Kachel-cry  of  bereavement,  towards  the  invisible  ex 
istence  of  the  loved  ones ;  but  her  mature  judgment  like  that 
of  her  husband's,  was  against  the  value  of  mediumistic 
testimonies.  So  involved  were  they  in  trickeries,  and  so 


UNCLE   TOM'S  CABIN.  381 

defiled  by  low  adventurers,  that  it  was  impossible  to  regard 
the  movement  in  its  imperfect  development  (which  has  not 
materially  changed  in  twenty  years),  as  otherwise  than 
repulsive. 

Though  filled  with  the  yearning  which  draws  human  hearts 
so  strongly  towards  the  hidden  future,  Mrs.  Stowe  could 
not  be  satisfied  that  the  veil  had  ever  been  rent  for  human 
eyes.  Professor  Stowe,  never  allied  himself  in  any  way 
with  spiritualists,  not  deeming  such  revelations  as  had  been 
given  him,  evidence  which  could  be  formulated  into  a  creed, 
or  depended  upon  as  a  religion.  He  joined  his  wife  in  the 
delightful  correspondence  with  George  Eliot  and  said,  re 
ferring  to  the  subject,  "  I  have  had  no  connection  with  any 
of  the  modern  movements,  except  as  father  confessor." 

He  investigated  his  personal  condition  intelligently,  and 
noted  that  the  action  of  this  sense  depended  greatly  upon 
his  physical  condition,  observing  that  when  he  was  not  in 
perfect  health,  his  visions  were  of  an  unpleasant  nature, 
though  he  did  not  perceive  that  an  unhealthy  state  of  the 
nerves  or  body,  at  all  increased  the  frequency  or  clearness  of 
his  visions.  This  fact,  of  course,  will  in  the  mind  of  most 
readers,  tend  to  relegate  them  to  the  realm  of  waking 
dreams,  though  it  does  not  conclusively  disprove  the  theory 
of  the  existence,  either  bodily  or  spiritually,  of  what  he 
saw. 

Those  who  desire  to  believe  that  Professor  Stowe  was  a 
"  medium  "  will  receive  as  valuable  testimony  the  fact  that 
he  not  only  saw,  but  believed  he  heard  and  conversed  with 
these  etherealized  personalities.  He  was  in  the  habit  of  con 
versing  freely  during  the  last  ten  years  of  his  life  with  a 
dear  friend,  a  young  clergyman  of  Hartford,  whom  he  found 
particularly  vigorous  in  thought,  and  refreshing  to  his  in- 


382  THE   LIFE   WORK   OF   THE   AUTHOR   OF 

tellectual  life.  He  often  spoke  to  him  of  talking  with  his 
son  Henry  who  had  died  years  before,  and  one  morning  told 
him  that  the  devil,  taking  advantage  of  his  illness,  had  been 
grievously  tempting  him,  night  after  night.  Coming  in  the 
guise  of  a  horseman,  with  terribly  dark,  hostile  and  violent 
manner  yelling  that  his  son  Charles  was  dead,  and  question 
ing  his  faith  in  various  aggravating  ways. 

"But,"  said  he  .smiling  with  satisfaction,  "  I  was  ready 
for  him  last  night.  I  had  fortified  myself  with  passages 
of  Scripture.  I  found  some  things  in  Ephesians  which 
were  just  what  I  wanted,  and  when  he  came  last  night,  I 
hurled  them  at  him.  I  tell  you,  it  made  him  bark  like  a 
dog,  and  he  took  himself  off.  He  won't  trouble  me  again." 
Professor  Stowe  also  recounted  to  a  friend  an  interview 
which  he  declared  he  had  with  Goethe,  one  day  out  under 
the  trees.  He  intensely  enjoyed  the  discussion  with  the 
great  mind  of  the  German  Shakespeare  and  reported  a  most 
interesting  explanation  which  the  author  of  Faust,  gave  of 
the  celebrated  closing  lines  of  the  second  part  of  that  great 
work — 

"  All  of  mortality  is  but  a  symbol  shown, 

Here  to  reality  longings  have  grown ; 

How  superhumanly  wondrous,  'tis  done. 

The  eternal,  the  womanly  Love  leads  us  on." 

These  experiences,  which  seem  to  so  singularly  combine 
scholarship  and  speculation,  positive  knowledge  of  the  high 
est  order  and  beliefs  which  by  a  literal  minded  generation, 
are  generally  deemed  weakness,  were  not  peculiar  to  his 
old  age,  but  had  continued  with  him  all  through  his  long, 
remarkably  vigorous  and  logical,  intellectual  career. 

While  it  must  be  allowed  that  Mrs.  Stowe's  representa 
tions  of  family  life  and  its  general  trend  of  thought  and 


UNCLE   TOM'S  CABIN.  383 

conversation,  are  an  inimitable  reproduction  of  the  thinking 
people  of  the  old  New  England  communities,  and  that  this 
state  of  things  was  so  general  as  to  make  families  who 
were  not  so  concerned  and  discursive,  seem  ignorant  or  set- 
apart  as  anomalies  j  dwelling  so  earnestly  upon  these  themes 
in  her  books,  not  only  proves  her  a  true  daughter  and  sister 
of  her  family,  but  by  nature  as  naturally  a  minister  of  the  gos 
pel,  a  teacher  of  religion,  a  reformer  and  essayist,  as  Dr. 
Lyman  Beecher  himself,  or  the  deepest  thinker  or  most  grace 
ful  speaker  among  his  seven  clerical  sons.  She  had  all  of 
their  impulse  towards  expression,  all  of  their  force  and 
lucidity  of  thought,  their  grace,  tenderness  and  humor,  to 
which  were  added  her  feminine  intuitions  and  sympathies. 

George  Eliot  wrote  to  her — "  I  think  your  way  of  present 
ing  the  religious  convictions,  which  are  not  your  own,  ex 
cept  by  indirect  fellowship,  is  a  triumph  of  insight  and  true 
tolerance."  It  made  Harriet  Beecher  Stowe  what  she  was, 
the  most  remarkable  and  influential  woman  of  her  time. 

"  Old  Town  Folks  "  was  published  in  Boston  in  May  1869, 
and  by  the  first  of  August  twenty-five  thousand  copies  had 
been  sold.  It  appeared  simultaneously  through  Sampson 
and  Low,  in  London.  It  ran  through  three  large  editions 
there  in  the  same  time.  By  the  first  of  June,  five  forthcoming 
translations  were  announced  in  Germany,  and  it  still  remains 
constant  in  demand  in  several  languages.  The  name  of 
Sam  Lawson  became  a  household  word  all  over  the  land,  and 
Mrs.  Stowe  humored  the  public  wish  for  more  of  him  and 
his  entertaining  conversations,  by  issuing  through  Jas.  E-. 
Osgood  &  Co.,  a  collection  of  fifteen  tales  called  "  Sam  Law- 
son's  Oldtown  Fireside  Stories."  It  of  course  had  a  large 
sale  and  contains  innocent  amusement  enough  for  many 
winter  evenings. 


CHAPTER  XVIII. 

THE  LAST  GREAT  EVENT  OF  MRS.  STOWE'S  LITERARY  CAREER. 
"THE  TRUE  STORY  OF  LADY  BYRON'S  LIFE."  AN  ARTICLE 
WHICH  SHOCKED  THE  WHOLE  READING  WORLD.  VOLUMI 
NOUS  ABUSE  OF  MRS.  STOWE  BY  THE  DEFENDERS  OF  LORD 
BYRON  AND  THE  SERIOUS  DEPRECATION  OF  MANY 
FRIENDLY  REVIEWERS  IN  THE  UNITED  STATES  AS  WELL 
AS  GREAT  BRITAIN.  MRS.  STOWE'S  CHILDISH  IMPRES 
SION  OF  LORD  BYRON.  HER  ACQUAINTANCE  WITH  LADY 
BYRON  BEGUN  DURING  HER  FIRST  VISIT  TO  ENGLAND. 
LADY  BYRON'S  STORY  CONFIDED  TO  HER  IN  1856.  LADY 
BYRON'S  CONSULTATION  WITH  MRS.  STOWE.  DECISION  TO 
REMAIN  SILENT  DURING  LADY  BYRON'S  LIFE.  RE-OPEN 
ING  OF  THE  CONTROVERSY  THIRTEEN  YEARS  AFTER,  BY 
BLACKWOOD'S  MAGAZINE  IN  A  REVIEW  OF  THE  GUICCIOLI 
BOOK  OF  MEMOIRS.  THE  REVIEWER'S  ABUSE  OF  LADY 
BYRON.  THE  SPIRIT  OF  THE  ARTICLE  ECHOED  IN  AMERICA 
AND  THE  " MEMOIRS"  OF  BYRON'S  MISTRESS,  RE-PUBLISHED 

IN  THE  UNITED  STATES.  MRS.  STOWE'S  EXPECTATION  OF 
A  VINDICATION  FROM  LADY  BYRON'S  ENGLISH  FRIENDS. 
HER  RELUCTANT  ASSUMPTION  OF  THE  DUTY.  HER  CON 
SCIENTIOUSNESS  IN  THE  MATTER.  HER  REPULSIVE  DIS 
CLOSURE  WEIGHED  IN  THE  BALANCE  AGAINST  LORD 
BYRON'S  SEDUCTIVE  IMMORALITIES. 

IN  September  of  the  year  1869,  when  Harriet  Beecher 
Stowe  was  fifty-seven  years  of  age ;  in  the  full  strength  of 
384 


UNCLE   TOM'S  CABIN.  385 

her  matured  intellectuality;  when  the  fires  of  youthful 
passion  and  impetuous  feeling  had  long  since  burnt  them 
selves  out,  leaving  only  the  clear,  shining  embers  of  well 
considered  purpose ;  in  the  zenith  of  her  unparalleled 
popularity  and  world-wide  fame ;  standing  high  above  all 
women  as  a  writer  whose  success  in  touching  the  popular 
heart  and  conscience  had  transcended  all  those  of  her  time ; 
she  published  in  the  Atlantic  Monthly  and  simultaneously 
in  Macmillan's  Magazine,  an  article  of  considerable  length, 
which  bore  with  it  a  revelation  so  astounding,  so  monstrous 
in  its  unimagined  putridity,  that  the  whole  reading 
world  shrieked  aloud,  and  turned  upon  the  writer  with 
contumely,  invective  and  personal  reproaches  which  have 
scarcely  found  a  parallel  in  the  history  of  literature.  It 
brought  down  upon  her,  not  only  the  hatred  and  volumin 
ous  abuse  of  the  friends  and  defenders  of  the  parties  whom 
it  accused,  but  also  the  condemnation  and  rebuke  of  people, 
who  justly  deprecate  the  dragging  to  light  of  filthy  crimes 
whose  details  have  a  pernicious  effect  upon  society  at  large, 

"  The  True  Story  of  Lady  Byron's  Life  "  as  told  by  Mrs. 
Stowe,  had  sufficient  airing.  The  reasons  for  its  appear 
ance,  which  the  writer  considered,  fully  justified  her  dis 
closure,  were  supplied  by  her  and  her  friends,  so  that  he 
who  would,  might  have  been  fully  posted  upon  the  un 
pleasant  subject;  but  at  the  distance  of  twenty  years,  it  may 
be  profitable  to  look  over  the  ground  again  and  realize  why 
it  seemed  to  Mrs.  Stowe  right,  to  tell  the  "  True  Story  of 
Lady  Byron's  Life  "  which  she  firmly  believed  it  to  be. 

It  must  net  be  supposed  that  she  was  wholly  unprepared 
for  the  storm  that  it  aroused,  though  it  is  undeniable  that 
she  was  bitterly  wounded  by  the  sweeping  censure  with 
25 


386  THE   LIFE   WORK   OF   THE   AUTHOR   OF 

which  all  parties,  friends  and  foes  alike,  greeted  her  act. 
Her  literary  experience  had  not  been  all  of  pleasantness. 
She  had  not  only  suffered  for  the  book  which  she  had  lately 
seen  justified  in  the  emancipation  of  the  slaves,  but  she  had 
met  adverse,  sometimes  unkind,  criticism  upon  her  subse 
quent  works.  Though  it  cannot  be  said  that  these  had 
had  much  effect  upon  her  choice  of  subject,  or  manner  of 
literary  treatment,  no  one  can  believe  that  she  found  it 
agreeable  or  conducive  to  her  peace  of  mind,  to  be  thus  held 
up  as  a  target  for  the  slings  and  arrows  of  an  army  of 
critics,  which,  if  not  always  aimed  with  skill,  or  deserved 
by  their  victim,  were  dreadful  and  left  their  scars.  But 
in  all  her  acts,  public  and  private,  she  chose  what  she 
deemed  to  be  the  right,  and  seeing  beyond  the  brief  alarms 
of  this  world  and  the  objections  of  a  less  clear- minded  and 
conscientious  public,  maintained  it  always.  Why  she  felt 
called  upon  to  do  a  thing  which  was  so  universally  con 
demned,  a  brief  consideration  will  show. 

As  early  as  the  year  1821  when  Harriet  was  a 
child  of  nine,  the  Beecher  household  at  Litchfield,  always 
accustomed  to  keep  intelligently  informed  as  to  the  happen 
ings  of  the  world,  often  discussed  the  subject  of  the  separa 
tion  of  Lady  Byron,  from  her  talented  and  erratic  husband. 

It  had  taken  place  five  years  before,  but  was  kept  before 
the  public  mind  by  his  poems,  which  referred  to  his  domes 
tic  misfortunes  under  various  fictitious  heads.  Byron's 
early  poems  had  been  favorites  with  the  older  members  of 
the  family,  and  his  best  efforts  were  read  before  the  chil 
dren,  over  whose  innocent  minds  his  unworthy  sentiments 
and  allusions  passed  without  any  effect.  Harriet  listened 
with  anxious  gravity  while  her  father  discussed  the  poet's 


UNCLE   TOM'S  CABIN.  387 

career,  with  the  ladies  of  his  household,  and  declared  that 
"he  wanted  to  see  Byron,  give  him  his  views  of  religious 
thought,  and  help  him  out  of  his  troubles."  With  his  mis 
fortunes  they  all  felt  deep  sympathy,  in  spite  of  his  acknowl 
edged  idiosyncrasies.  They,  it  appeared,  were  almost  par 
donable  in  so  gifted  a  genius,  and  a  man  "who  had  the 
angel  within  him." 

With  the  rest  of  the  young  women  who  were  at 
susceptible  age  all  over  the  English  reading  world, 
Harriet  Beecher  sang  the  heart  breaking  "  Farewell  For 
ever,  and  if  Forever,  then  Forever  Fare  Thee  Well,"  as 
set  to  music;  and  thrilled  and  wept  in  tenderness  for  the 
adorable  man  who  could  thus  forgive  and  bless  the  severe, 
unforgiving  precisian,  whom  he  had  taken  for  his  wife, 
and  so  clearly  described  in  his  character  of  Donna  Inez  the 
mother  of  Don  Juan,  and  again  idealized  in  the  exquisite 
description  of.  Aurora  Raby,  in  the  same  poem.  Harriet 
Beecher  had  grown  into  womanhood,  wifehood,  maternity 
and  famous  authorship,  if  not  in  sympathy,  at  least  in  that 
toleration,  for  Byron,  which  has  been  accorded  and  doubt 
less,  to  the  end  of  time  will  be  accorded,  to  any  handsome, 
talented,  fascinating  fellow  who  is  in  trouble,  particularly  if 
he  happens  to  be  a  poet  and  a  Lord. 

As  is  well  known,  his  wife,  living  in  retirement  in 
England,  all  her  life  maintained  a  silence  upon  the  sub 
ject,  which  was  universally  felt  to  be  severe,  even 
atrocious,  perhaps  the  more  so,  as  women  usually  are 
depended  upon  to  talk,  upon  all  topics  and  occasions.. 

It  was  therefore,  with  some  surprise  that  Mrs.  Stowe 
next  heard  of  Lady  Byron  as  a  philanthropist,  and  an 
ardent  sympathizer  in  the  anti-slavery  movement.  After 


388  THE   LIFE  WORK  OF  THE   AUTHOR   OF 

the  intimate  acquaintance  formed  during  her  first  and  sec 
ond  visits,  to  England,  Mrs.  Stowe  experienced  a  complete 
revulsion  of  feeling,  from  wonderment  at  her  silence  upon 
the  subject  of  her  reasons  for  deserting  her  husband,  to  as 
tonishment  at  the  Christian  spirit  which  had  enabled  her 
to  pass  her  blameless  existence,  calmly  enduring  such  terri 
ble  wrongs. 

When  the  author  of  "  Uncle  Tom's  Cabin  "  visited  Eng 
land  in  1853,  in  the  first  flush  of  the  phenomenal  success  of 
her  great  work,  she  met  Lady  Byron  at  a  luncheon  party 
at  the  house  of  one  of  her  friends. 

Mrs.  Stowe  was  struck  with  the  gentle  dignity  of  her 
personal  appearance  and  thus  describes  her : 

"  The  party  had  many  notables,  but  among  them  all,  my  atten 
tion  was  fixed  principally  upon  Lady  Byron.  She  was  at  this 
time  sixty-one  years  of  age  *  but  still  had,  to  a  remarkable  degree, 
that  personal  attraction  which  is  commonly  considered  to  belong 
only  to  youth  and  beauty.  Her  form  was  slight,  giving  an 
impression  of  fragility ;  her  motions  were  both  graceful  and 
decided;  her  eyes  bright  and  full  of  interest  and  quick  obser 
vation.  Her  silvery  white  hair  seemed  to  lend  a  grace  to  the 
transparent  purity  of  her  complexion,  and  her  small  hands  had  a 
pearly  whiteness.  I  recollect  she  wore  a  plain  widow's  cap  of  a 
transparent  material ;  and  was  dressed  in  some  delicate  shade  of 
lavender  which  harmonized  well  with  her  complexion.  When  I 
was  introduced  to  her  I  felt  in  a  moment  the  words  of  her  hus 
band: — 

"  There  was  awe  in  the  homage  that  she  drew  ; 
Her  spirit  seemed  as  seated  on  a  throne." 

*  Twenty  years  older  than  our  famous  woman  who  afterwards  became  her 
champion. 


UNCLE   TOM'S  CABIN.  389 

Calm,  self-poised  and  thoughtful,  she  seemed  to  me  rather  to 
resemble  an  interested  spectator  of  the  world's  affairs,  than  an 
actor  involved  in  its  trials ;  yet  the  sweetness  of  her  smile,  and  a 
certain  very  delicate  sense  of  humor  in  her  remarks,  made  the 
way  of  acquaintance  easy.  Her  first  remarks  were  a  little  play 
ful  ;  but  in  a  few  moments  we  were  speaking  on  what  every  one 
in  those  days  was  talking  about, — the  slavery  question  in  America. 
It  need  not  be  remarked  that  when  any  one  subject  especially 
occupies  the  public  mind,  those  known  to  be  interested  in  it  are 
compelled  to  listen  to  many  weary  platitudes.  Lady  Bryon's 
remarks,  however,  caught  my  ear  and  arrested  my  attention  by 
their  peculiar,  incisive  quality,  their  originality  and  the  evidence 
they  gave  that  she  was  as  well  informed  on  all  our  matters  as  the 
best  American  statesman  could  be.  I  had  no  wearisome  course  to 
go  over  with  her  as  to  the  difference  between  the  general  Govern 
ment  and  State  Governments,  nor  explanations  of  the  United 
States  Constitution ;  for  she  had  the  whole  before  her  mind  with 
perfect  clearness.  Her  morality  upon  the  slavery  question,  too, 
impressed  me  as  something  far  higher  and  deeper  than  the  com 
mon  sentimentalism  of  the  day.  Many  of  her  words  surprised 
me  greatly  and  gave  me  new  material  for  thought.  I  found  I 
was  in  company  with  a  commanding  mind  and  hastened  to  gain 
instruction  from  her  on  another  point  where  my  interest  had  been 
aroused.  * 

Their  acquaintance  during  several  interviews  grew  into 
tender  friendship  and  when  Mrs.  Stowe  went  abroad  three 
years  later,  in  1856,  to  secure  a  foreign  copyright  upon  her 

*  Without  doubt  Mrs.  Stowe  invested  Lady  Byron  with  an  ideal  charm,  for  their 
characters  seemed  a  natural  compliment  each  to  the  other  and  Mrs.  Hooker,  relates 
how  upon  one  occasion  when  "  Sister  Harriet"  had  been  visiting  Lady  Byron,  she 
came  away  in  her  absent-minded  manner,  leaving  her  gloves  in  Lady  Byron's  dress 
ing  rooms.  "  Never  mind,"  said  Lady  Byron  who  had  accompanied  her  to  the  sta 
tion,  "  we  wear  the  same  size,  take  mine  and  I  will  keep  yours."  Mrs.  Stowe  took 
the  gloves,  which  were  of  a  delicate  drab,  but  carried  them  in  her  hand— she  never 
put  them  on— but  years  afterwards  her  sister  saw  them  folded  in  tissue  paper  with 
rose  leaves  which  dropped  from  a  bud  Lady  Byron  had  worn  at  the  same  inter 
view. 


390  THE  LIFE   WORK   OF   THE   AUTHOR   OF 

new  book  "  Dred,"  among  the  brightest  anticipations  held 
out  by  this  journey,  was  the  hope  of  once  more  seeing  Lady 
Byron.  Though  London  was  deserted  Mrs.  Stowe  found 
that  Lady  Byron  was  in  town  and  called  upon  her,  renew 
ing  their  congenial  conversations  and  cementing  the  friend 
ship  which  had  sprung  into  being  at  their  first  interview. 

Some  days  later,  when  Lady  Bryon  was  able  to  leave  her 
room,  a  family  party  consisting  of  Professor  and  Mrs. 
Stowe,  their  children  and  Mrs.  Stowe's  sister,  Mrs.  Perkins, 
went  to  luncheon  with  her  and  passed  a  most  enjoyable 
day.  Again,  Mrs.  Stowe,  with  her  husband,  and  the  sou 
Henry,  who  so  soon  after  met  a  watery  grave  at  Dartmouth, 
spent  an  evening  with  the  lady.  Young  Lord  Ockham, 
Lady  Byron's  grandson  and  Henry  Stowe  were  made  friends, 
and  talked  of  with  pride  by  the  mother  and  grandmother, 
in  their  mutual  confidences. 

Some  weeks  later,  Mrs.  Stowe  and  Mrs.  Perkins  were 
going  from  London  to  Eversley  to  visit  the  Keverend 
Charles  Kingsley.  On  their  way,  they  stopped  to  take 
luncheon  with  Lady  Byron  at  her  summer  residence  on 
Ham  Common,  and  by  her  request,  returned  there  after 
a  few  days,  as  Lady  Byron  had  asked  for  a  special  inter 
view  with  Mrs.  Stowe  to  discuss  an  important  matter. 

It  then  transpired,  that  a  cheap  edition  of  Byron's  works 
was  soon  to  be  issued,  accompanied  with  his  biography, 
in  which  was  given  the  story  of  his  domestic  life,  in  the 
version  of  his  friends.  It  had  been  suggested  to  Lady 
Byron,  that  she  ought  to  break  the  silence  which  she  had 
maintained  so  long,  and  give  to  the  public  the  vindication, 
which  she  held,  in  the  facts  of  her  reasons  for  separating 
from  her  husband.  It  was  her  desire  to  recount  the  whole 


UNCLE   TOM'S   CABIN.  391 

history  to  a  person  of  another  country,  and  one  entirely  out 
of  the  whole  sphere  of  local  and  personal  feelings,  which 
must  inevitably  bias  the  judgment  of  one  in  the  country, 
and  station  in  life,  in  which  the  circumstances  took  place. 

She  felt  a  grave  responsibility  to  society  for  the  truth,  and 
it  had  become  a  serious  question,  whether  she  could  permit 
these  writings  to  gain  influence  over  the  popular  mind,  by 
giving  a  silent  consent,  to  what  she  knew  to  be  utter  false 
hoods.  Lady  Byron  was  then  enfeebled  physically  by  the 
disease,  pulmonary  consumption,  which  four  years  later 
terminated  her  life,  but  the  time  was  auspicious,  for  it  ap 
peared  to  be  one  of  "  her  well  days/'  and  she  was  able  to 
tell  the  story  without  difficulty. 

Held  by  -the  bonds  of  womanly  tenderness,  sympathy  and 
firm  belief  in  the  truth  and  perfect  sanity  of  her  friend, 
Mrs.  Stowe  "  could  not  choose  but  hear  "  and  she  was  much 
impressed  and  excited  by  the  avowal  and  the  responsibility 
which  it  had  entailed  upon  her.  She  begged  for  two  or 
three  days  in  which  to  deliberate  and  form  her  opinion 
upon  so  distressing  a  question.  Mrs.  Stowe's  decision  was 
chiefly  influenced  by  her  reverence  and  affection  for  Lady 
Byron,  who  seemed  so  frail,  who  had- suffered  so  much,  and 
stood  at  such  a  height  above  the  comprehension  of  the 
coarse  arid  common  world,  that  to  ask  her  to  come  forth 
from  the  sanctuary  of  her  silence  and  plead  her  cause 
before  the  public,  would  be  like  violating  a  shrine. 

She  could  not  advise  the  desecration  of  a  reserve,  which, 
under  the  circumstances,  had  become  almost  holy,  in  its  self- 
abnegation  and  angelic  sweetness. 

After  anxious  consideration  and  conversation  with  her 
sister  Mrs.  Perkins,  Mrs.  Stowe  at  last  wrote  to  Lady  By- 


392  THE  LIFE  WORK   OF  THE   AUTHOR   OF 

ron,  that  while  this  act  of  justice  did  seem  called  for,  and  in 
some  respects  most  desirable,  it  would  involve  so  much  that 
was  painful  to  her  (Lady  Byron)  that  she  considered  that 
Lady  Byron  would  be  justifiable  in  leaving  the  facts  to  be 
published  after  her  death.  There  was  no  special  promise 
asked  or  given,  that  Mrs  Stowe  would  do  this,  should  it 
ever  be  necessary  to  defend  the  character  of  Lady  Byron 
before  the  world,  nor  was  her  secrecy  in  the  future,  enjoined. 

With  this  confidence,  Mrs.  Stowe  felt  she  had  received  a 
responsibility  which  she  afterwards  could  not  disown  or 
shirk.  Some  thirteen  years  later,  nine  years  after  the  death 
of  Lady  Byron,  and  Lord  Byron  had  found  Lethe  drinking 
in  forgetfulness  of  earthly  sin  and  sorrow  and  resting 
in  the  grave,  one  Madam  Guiccioli,  already  notorious  as 
the  companion  of  Byron  in  his  last  stage  of  moral  degreda- 
tion,  published  a  book  of  memoirs  of  him,  which  appeared  to 
meet  with  great  favor,  and  consisted  of  the  story  of  the 
mistress  versus  the  wife.  This,  Mrs.  Stowe  read  with  in 
dignation  which  augmented  and  increased  with  further  con 
sideration,  in  the  light  of  her  own  knowledge,  of  the  wife 
and  her  story. 

"Black  wood"  the  old  classic  magazine  of  Great  Britain; 
the  defender  of  conservatism,  of  aristocracy,  the  paper  of 
Lockhart,  "Wilson,  Hogg,  Walter  Scott  and  a  host  of  de 
parted  grandeurs — was  deputed  to  usher  into  the  world  this 
book,  which  was  acknowledged  by  prominent  reviewers  to 
be  a  mere  mass  of  twaddle  over  which  they  could  scarcely 
maintain  their  gravity,  its  sole  claim  to  notice  admitted  to 
be  its  authorship,  the  same  long-established  and  influential 
magazine  giving  it  introduction  and  recommendation  on  that 
account. 


UNCLE   TOM'S  CABIN.  393 

The  reviewer  proceeded  to  make  it  the  occasion  for 
re-opening  the  controversy  of  Lord  Byron  with  his  wife, 
attacking  her  character  in  a  terrible  manner,  putting  the 
facts  together  as  a  lawyer  might  array  them  in  pleading  the 
cause  of  a  wronged  man  who  had  been  ruined  in  name, 
shipwrecked  in  life,  and  driven  to  an  early  grave,  by  the 
arts  of  a  bad  woman,  one  all  the  more  despicable  and  mon 
strous,  that  her  malice  was  hidden  under  the  cloak  of  relig 
ion! 

The  eloquent  and  cultured  writer  proceeded  to  say,  "  Lady 
Byron  has  been  called  l  The  moral  Clymtemnestra  of  her 
lord.'  The  moral  Brinvilliers,  would  have  been  a  truer 
designation." 

He  further  claimed,  that  Lord  Byron's  unfortunate  mar 
riage  might  have  changed,  not  only  his  own  destiny,  but 
that  of  all  England.  He  suggested  that  but  for  this,  Lord 
Byron  instead  of  wearing  out  his  life  in  vice,  and  corrupting 
society  by  impure  poetry,  might  at  that  time  have  been 
leading  the  counsels  of  the  state  and  helping  the  onward 
movement  of  the  world.  He  charged  Lady  Byron  with  for 
saking  her  husband  in  time  of  worldly  misfortune,  with  fab 
ricating  a  destructive  accusation  of  crime  against  him,  and 
confirming  this  accusation  by  years  of  persistent  silence, 
more  guilty  than  open  assertion.* 

The  American  woman  who  had  been  her  trusted  friend 
and  ardent  admirer,  who  felt  that  above  all  other  women 
she  was  pure,  self- abnegating,  and  terribly  injured  by  her 
husband,  read  this  language  with  amazement.  It  seemed  to 
her  brutal,  and  so  unfair  as  to  be  unprecedented,  to  thus 

*A  glance  at  a  file  of  Blackwood  for  July,  1869,  will  show  all  of  this,  'and  much 
more  which  was  indeed  terrible  for  the  friends  of  Lady  Byron,  a  few  of  whom 
knew  her  deepest  wrongs,  to  endure. 


394  THE   LIFE   WORK   OF   THE    AUTHOR   OF 

publicly  brand  a  virtuous  lady  of  Christlike  gentleness  and 
purity  of  character  with  the  name  of  the  foulest  of  ancient, 
and  most  execrable  of  modern  assassins,  while  Byron's 
mistress,  a  woman  of  no  character  and  small  mind,  was 
taken  by  the  hand  by  this  important  review.  This  attack 
seemed  to  call  for  the  disclosure  of  the  truth,  however 
revolting.  The  facts  could  be  no  greater  outrage  to  the 
sensibilities  of  the  world  than  this  accumulation  of  slander 
against  an  innocent  woman ;  that,  incited  by  Byron  in  self- 
defense,  transmitted  to  his  friends  to  be  continued  with  in 
creasing  malignity  after  his  death  and  culminating  in  the 
publication  of  the  Guiccioli  book  and  this  re-opening  of  the 
bitter  controversy.  Mrs.  Stowe  looked  confidently  for  a 
conclusive  refutation  of  Lady  Byron's  cause. 

No  answer  or  announcement  from  any  friend  of  Lady  By 
ron  appeared.  The  article  was  promptly  reproduced  in  the 
United  States,  in  Littell's  Living  Age,  and  the  Guiccioli 
book  was  reprinted  in  America,  by  as  prominent  a  publish 
ing  house  as  Harper  Brothers. 

It  is  denied  that  it  attained  any  circulation  worth  consid 
ering,  either  in  this  country  or  abroad,  and  Mrs.  Stowe  per 
haps  over-estimated  its  influence,  as  well  as  the  trend  of 
sympathy  towards  the  adulterous  connection  which  it 
vaunted,  and  which  Blackwood  so  plausibly  condoned.  Let 
us  also  hope  the  permanent  effects  of  the  Byronic  poetry, 
which  Shelley  characterized  as  the  foremost  of  the  "  Satanic 
School,"  were  not  so  important  as  she  feared,  still  she  must 
infer  from  facts,  how  strong  a  sympathy  was  felt  in  high 
places  with  the  life  and  writings  of  the  "moral  leper"  whom 
it  was  the  fashion  of  the  hour,  to  pity  and  excuse. 

Mrs.  Stowe  saw  in  a  popular  magazine,  two  long  articles, 


UNCLE   TOM'S   CABIN.  395 

both  of  which  represented  Lady  Byron  as  a  cold,  malignant 
•woman  who  had  been  her  husband's  ruin,  the  same  arti 
cles  being  so  full  of  mis-statements  as  to  astonish  her.  In 
fact,  it  was  thus  the  knowledge  of  the  book  and  the  Black- 
wood  article  first  came  to  her.  Not  long  after  a  friend 
wrote  to  Mrs.  Stowe  "  Will  you,  can  you,  reconcile  it  to  your 
conscience  to  sit  still  and  allow  that  mistress  to  slander 
that  wife, — you,  perhaps,  the  only  one  knowing  the  real 
facts,  and  able  to  set  them  forth  ?  " 

Mrs.  Stowe  still  waited  for  a  refutation  of  the  slanderous 
publication,  being  aware  that  the  facts  of  Lady  Byron's 
reasons  for  leaving  her  husband,  were  known  in  various  cir 
cles  in  England. 

As  no  friend  came  to  her  defense,  Mrs.  Stowe  decided, 
not  without  extreme  reluctance,  that  it  was  her  duty,  to 
publish  what  Lady  Byron  had  so  impressively  confided  to 
her.  She  was  at  this  time  in  impaired  health,  and  was 
under  treatment,  with  her  husband  who  was  suffering  with 
a  painful  malady,  at  a  celebrated  private  hospital  in  New 
York  city.  Her  younger  sister,  Isabella  Beecher  Hooker, 
was  her  confidant  and  companion,  and  bears  witness  to  the 
painful  struggle  which  Mrs.  Stowe  passed  through,  but  at  last 
she  dictated,  from  her  couch,  to  this  sister,  who  wrote  as 
she  directed,  the  disclosure  which  fell  like  a  thunderbolt 
upon  the  literary  and  social  world. 

In  the  article,  which  speedily  raised  a  storm  of  discussion 
,all  over  the  reading  world,  Mrs.  Stowe  sarcastically  reviewed 
the  statement  of  Byron's  wrongs  which  was  going  not  only 
over  Europe,  but  the  length  of  the  American  continent, 
rousing  new  sympathy  for  him  and  "doing  its  best  to  bring 
the  youth  of  America  once  more  under  the  power  of  that 


396  THE   LIFE   WORK   OF   THE   AUTHOR   OF 

brilliant  and  seductive  genius  from  which  it  was  hoped  they 
had  escaped."  She  remarked,  that  only  the  strictest  moral 
ists  seemed  to  defend  the  wife.  Gentler  hearts  "  regarded  her 
as  a  marble-hearted  monster  of  correctness  and  morality,  a 
personification  of  the  law,  unmitigated  by  the  gospel." 

Mrs.  Stowe  outlined  the  facts  which  Lady  Byron  had 
given  her,  of  the  events  of  her  courtship  and  married  life 
(which  are  indeed  interesting  reading,  and  amply  refute  the 
charges  made  against  Lady  Byron,  of  impatience  or  heart- 
lessness),  and  in  a  terse  paragraph  which  electrified  the 
world,  disclosed  the  special  reason  why  Lady  Byron,  after 
more  than  a  year  of  sorrowful  remonstrance,  left  her  erring 
husband.  It  was  in  these  words. 

"  From  the  height  at  which  he  might  have  been  happy  as  the 
husband  of  a  noble  woman,  he  fell  into  the  depths  of  a  secret, 
adulterous  intrigue,  with  a  blood  relation,  so  near  in  consan 
guinity,  that  discovery  must  have  been  utter  ruin  and  expulsion 
from  civilized  society.  From  henceforth,  this  damning  secret 
became  the  ruling  force  in  his  life,  holding  him  with  a  morbid  fasci 
nation,  yet  filling  him  with  remorse  and  anguish  and  insane  dread 
of  detection." 

Mrs.  Stowe  proceeded  to  show  how  Byron,  when  he  found 
the  wife  whom  he  had  married  in  answer  to  the  entreaties 
of  his  friends,  who  was  to  serve  as  a  cloak  to  his  intrigues 
and  dissipations,  could  not  be  deceived  nor  cowed  into  sub 
mission  to  his  horrible  infidelities,  resolved  to  be  rid  of  her. 

He  therefore  inflicted  upon  her  every  cruelty  possible  from 
a  drunken  roue  to  whose  brutality  was  superadded  the  inven 
tive  ferocity  of  a  devil,  until,  with  a  child  a  few  weeks  old, 
she  left  his  house  and  returned  to  her  father's  home  never  to 


UNCLE   TOM'S   CABIN.  397 

return,  never  during  her  life  to  make  public  her  terrible 
injuries.  Henceforth,  she  lived  for  the  daughter  who  grew  up 
inheriting  her  father's  brilliant  talents  with  all  of  his  restless 
ness  and  morbid  sensibility.  After  her  child's  death,  which 
followed  a  youthful  career  as  a  gay  woman  of  fashion,  Lady 
Byron  devoted  herself  to  wise  philanthropies,  inventing 
practical  schools,  managing  with  skill  several  institutions, 
which  resulted  in  great  benefit  to  artisans,  seamstresses  and 
other  classes  of  laboring  men  and  women,  preserving  always 
a  silence,  which  in  the  light  of  the  disclosure,  appeared  to 
have  been  not  malignity,  but  Christian  forbearance. 

There  could  be  no  well  founded  doubt  of  the  truth  of 
Lady  Byron's  story,  except  upon  the  supposition  that  she 
was  insane;  that  being  so  long  "wrapped  in  dismal  think 
ings  "  had  made  her  mad. 

Mrs.  Stowe,  believed  she  was  in  her  right  mind,  and  gave 
unhesitating  credence  to  the  story.  She  had  decided  it  was 
right  to  publish  the  story  and  she  did  it.  Mrs.  Stowe's 
sense  of  justice  was  through  life,  perhaps  her  strongest 
characteristic.  When  it  fell  to  her  to  administer  it,  whether 
to  the  statesman,  politicians  and  Christian  people  of  the 
United  States  upon  a  constitutional  wrong,  or  to  the  social 
world  who  were  sympathizing  with  and  falling  under  the 
influence  of  a  man  whom  she  knew  to  be  false  and  unworthy 
to  the  core,  she  was  inexorable  and  unbending  as  Fate, 
quite  as  stern  and  regardless  of  self  as  the  figure  who  with 
bandaged  eyes,  holds  the  scales  of  good  and  evil  balancing 
in  her  hand. 

The  cloudburst  of  horrified  deprecation,  invective  and 
personal  abuse  of  the  woman  who  had  been  brave  enough 
to  tell  the  disgusting  story,  fell  simultaneously  upon  both 


398  THE   LIFE   WORK   OF   THE    AUTHOR   OF 

continents,  and  a  single  week  sent  forth  a  hailstorm  of 
publications  upon  the  Byron  mystery. 

Black  wood  and  the  Quarterly  Review  thundered  forth 
vehement  salvos  against  Mrs.  Stowe,  making  every  accusa 
tion  from  falsehood  to  meddling,  from  ignorance  to  poor 
taste,  and  the  Examiner,  The  Pall  Mall  Gazette,  The  Times, 
and  hundreds  of  lesser  organs,  (for  no  one  of  the  British 
journals  felt  itself  too  uninformed  or  inconsequential  to 
take  up  the  question)  joined  in  surprise  and  indignation 
that  an  American  woman  should  volunteer  to  disclose  what 
Lady  Byron's  respected  trustees  had  declined  to  make 
known. 

Macmillan's  came  in  for  a  share  of  the  public  execration, 
which,  however  under  the  unprecedented  call  for  that  num 
ber  of  the  Magazine,  it  appears  they  bore  with  equanimity. 
The  press  of  the  United  States,  at  one  and  the  same  time 
expressed  their  amazement  at  Mrs.  Stowe,  at  The  Atlantic, 
and  at  everything,  perhaps,  more  than  at  the  author  of 
"Don  Juan,"  of  "  Parisina,"  of  "Manfred,"  and  the  rest, 
which  give  abundant  proof  of  the  poet's  perverted  instincts, 
displaying  in  their  motives  a  moral  insanity  which  makes 
his  wife's  story  credible. 

The  New  York  Tribune  discussed  the  controversy  at 
length,  trying  to  administer  impartial  justice  to  the  memo 
ries  of  Lord  and  Lady  Byron,  but  few  representatives  of 
even  the  American  press,  said  a  word  in  extenuation  of  the 
principle  which  actuated  Mrs.  Stowe,  or  the  judgment  which 
permitted  her  action.  Upon  that  point,  the  Saturday 
Review  in  an  otherwise  exceptionally  fair  article  upon  the 
Byron  controversy,  stated  its  opinion  with  clearness,  using 
terms  which  could  not  be  mistaken  for  flattery  to  the  intel- 


UNCLE   TOM'S  CABIN.  399 

lectual  abilities,  judgment,  taste  or  high  motives  of  the 
author  of  "  Uncle  Tom's  Cabin." 

Mrs.  Stowe,  who  had  expected  severe  comment  in  certain 
foreign  reviews,  had  not  been  prepared  for  the  avalanche  of 
adverse  and  unjust  criticism  that  poured  in  upon  her  from 
American  writers,  who  she  thought  should  have  trusted  her 
judgment  and  right  feeling.  Upon  one  point  they  all 
agreed,  which  was  in  a  demand  for  proof,  a  detailed  ac 
count  of  her  interview,  and  a  summary  of  her  reasons  for 
the  disclosure.  Friends  implored  a  justification  of  herself. 
The  solicitors  of  Lady  Byron,  of  whom  until  then,  Mrs. 
Stowe  had  had  no  knowledge,  wrote  a  personal  letter  in 
quiring  by  what  authority  she  had  published  facts  which 
were  known  to  them,  but  which  they  had  decided  to 
suppress,  and  other  calls  which  she  could  not  ignore,  came 
asking  for  reasons  for  her  work,  and  proofs  of  the  "True 
Story  of  Lady  Byron." 

As  has  been  stated  Mrs.  Stowe  was  in  impaired  health, 
which,  be  it  noted,  she  did  not  adduce  as  an  apology  for  her 
disclosure,  but  afterwards  mentioned  as  the  cause  of  some 
minor  inaccuracies,  such  as  the  misspelling  of  a  name  and 
miscalculating  the  period  of  the  Byrons'  married  life  by  a 
few  months,  which  were  incident  to  her  having  to  dictate 
the  article.  While  she  admitted  to  the  critics,  the  inartis 
tic  effects  of  her  astounding  article  as  a  literary  production, 
she  never  for  an  instant,  failed  to  stand  by  its  statements 
and  purpose.  She  soon  published  a  card  in  the  Hartford 
Courant  saying  that  she  had  a  more  comprehensive  state 
ment  in  hand,  which  would  be  her  complete  Vindication  of 
Lady  Byron.  It  appeared  early  in  1870,  being  published 
by  Fields,  Osgood  and  Company,  and  was  a  "  History  of  the 


400  THE  LIFE   WORK  OF  THE   AUTHOR  OF 

Byron  Controversy  from  its  Beginning  in  1816  to  the 
Present  Time." 

No  one  can  judge  fairly  of  Mrs.  Stowe's  relation  to  the 
unpleasant  affair,  until  this  book  has  been  carefully  read. 

Without  attempting  to  unravel  the  labyrinthine  intrica 
cies  or  discuss  the  contradictions  of  the  maddening  contro 
versy,  whose  published  details  make  a  literature  of  its  own 
it  is  our  province  to  consider  Mrs.  Stowe's  relation  to  the 
affair.  As  to  whether  the  horrid  story  was  true,  a  question 
which  several  of  the  British  reviews,  even  while  condemn 
ing  Mrs.  Stowe's  action  yet  decided  in  the  affirmative,  we 
have  nothing  to  do,  except  so  far  as  it  involves  her  sincer 
ity  and  high  purpose. 

Harriet  Beecher  Stowe  believed  the  truth  of  Lady 
Byron's  statement  as  she  believed  in  her  own  existence. 

It  was  fair  to  consider  that  if  Lady  Byron  had  any  friends 
who  had  respect  for  her  memory  they  would  speak. 

As  they  did  not.  Mrs.  Stowe  decided  she  could  not  leave 
the  false  history  which  was  thus  created,  to  stand  uncontra- 
dicted.  She  said  in  her  book  "  Lady  Byron  Vindicated." 

"  I  claim  for  my  countrymen  and  women  our  right  to  true  history. 
For  years,  the  popular  literature  has  held  up  publicly  before  our 
eyes  the  facts  as  to  this  man  and  this  woman,  and  called  on  us  to 
praise  or  condemn.  Let  us  have  truth  when  we  are  called  upon 
to  judge.  It  is  our  right.  There  is  no  conceivable  obligation  on 
a  human  being  greater  than  that  of  absolute  justice.  It  is  the 
deepest  personal  injury  to  an  honorable  mind  to  be  made  through 
misrepresentation,  an  accomplice  in  injustice.  When  a  noble 
name  is  accused,  any  person  who  possesses  truth  which  might 
clear  it,  and  withholds  that  truth,  is  guilty  of  a  sin  against  human 
nature  and  the  inalienable  claims  of  justice.  I  claim  that  I  have 


UNCLE   TOM'S  CABIN.  401 

not  only  a  right,  but  an  obligation  to  bring  my  solemn  testimony 
upon  this  subject." 

The  reviewers,  some  of  the  fairest  of  whom  picked  flaws 
and  made  criticisms  so  trivial  as  to  scarcely  do  justice  to 
their  own  comprehension  of  the  great  essentials  of  her  man 
ifesto,  as  well  as  the  superficial  readers  of  this  generation, 
or  the  many  who  discuss  the  question  from  mere  hearsay 
and  blame  Mrs.  Stowe  because  they  find  the  disclosure  she 
made,  revolting,  should  be  reminded  that  she  did  not  re-open 
the  controversy. 

It  was  done  by  Blackwood's  Magazine  in  July,  1869,  in 
an  article  recommending  the  Guiccicoli  book. 

While  Mrs.  Stowe  had  not  been  formally  constituted  the 
advocate  of  Lady  Byron  (who  evidently  expected  that  her 
trustees  would  see  justice  done  her  memory,  having  put  the 
facts  into  their  hands  to  use  at  discretion),  she  had  confided 
the  story  of  her  injuries  to  Mrs.  Stowe  without  any  restric 
tions,  sure  that  her  cause  could  be  trusted  to  Mrs.  Stowe's 
judgment  and  affection.  The  time  came  when  Mrs.  Stowe 
would  have  become  an  accomplice  in  injustice,  had  she  with 
held  the  knowledge  confided  to  her.  It  should  be  considered 
that  she  was  not,  therefore,  permitted  by  her  strong  moral 
sense,  to  preserve  the  silence  which  she  would  have  preferred. 

The  author  of  "G-uenn"  a  writer  of  rare  discrimination 
and  force,  has  said  of  a  similar  responsibility,  "  I  believe 
it  would  be  a  better  place,  this  cowardly,  false  world,  if  a 
few  rare  souls  should  spurn  restraint  and  speak  out  plainly 
what  they  think.  What  crimes  are  not  committed  in  the 
name  of  tact,  refinement,  discretion, — what  sins  of  mean 
ness  and  falsehood ! " 

Mrs.  Stowe  did  not  volunteer  to  uncover  the  mass  of 
26 


402  THE  LIFE   WOKK   OF   THE  AUTHOR  OF 

moral  corruption  which  her  disclosure  opened  to  the  mor 
bid  curiosity  of  the  world,  nor  did  she  create  or  tolerate  it, 
any  more  than  she  precipitated  slavery  upon  the  United 
States  or  advocated  the  Fugitive  Slave  Bill,  of  1850.  It 
was  forced  upon  her  by  the  writer  who  re-opened  the  con 
troversy,  making  Byron  only  a  lesser  god,  suffering  from  the 
slanders  of  his  wife,  and  his  mistress  (the  last  one),  the  true 
soul- wife,  whom  he  missed  in  his  marriage. 

The  eminent  reviewer  before  referred  to,  who,  said  of  Mrs. 
Stowe,  "  This  is  not  the  first  time  in  Mrs.  Stowe's  literary 
career  that  her  good  intentions — that  is,  her  weak  judgment 
and  passionate  and  undisciplined  temper — have  sown  a  crop 
only  to  be  watered  with  blood  and  tears,"  failed,  very 
naturally,  perhaps,  to  comprehend  her  high  conscientious 
ness,  unworldly  earnestness,  honesty  and  far-sighted  esti 
mate  of  the  relative  value  of  mundane  things. 

"Who  shall  say  that  justice  done  to  an  innocent  woman, 
may  not  counterbalance  in  the  eternities,  the  moral  degen 
eration  suffered  by  that  class  of  humanity  which  gloated 
over  the  unpleasant  details  which  were  of  necessity  set  forth? 

Shall  we  decide  that  the  sum  total  of  depravity,  absorbed 
by  the  public,  which,  in  consequence  of  her  statement,  was 
inundated  by  a  stream  of  abomination  and  a  literature  of 
nastiness  which  is  absolutely  unparalleled  in  the  records  of 
human  depravity  and  sin,  was  any  greater,  than  that  which 
for  a  lifetime,  had  saturated  society,  in  Byron's  slanders 
against  virtue,  his  shameless  exposure  of  the  sanctities  of 
his  married  life  to  a  host  of  ribald  fellows  at  the  Noctes 
Ambrosiange  Club  and  the  pernicious  influence  of  his  im 
moralities,  as  set  to  graceful  verse  ? 

To  the  baleful  influence  of  his  seductive  poems  he  added 


UNCLE   TOM'S  CABIN.  403 

the  effect,  carefully  confusing  to  young  and  enthusiastic 
minds,  of  an  injured  genius,  a  beautiful  sinner,  whose  fol 
lies  were  pardonable,  because  of  his  gifts,  and  his  wrongs. 

Mrs.  Stowe's  revelation,  told  of  the  perverted  excess  of  a 
social  sin,  which  was  so  instinctively  revolting  to  human 
nature,  that  it  carried  its  own  antidote,  and  at  one  blow 
destroyed  the  glamour  which  Byron  had  contrived  to  throw 
about  his  sins,  revealing  him  in  all  the  unutterable  loath 
someness  of  his  moral  condition.  Had  these  considerations 
not  more  than  turned  the  scales,  there  was  always  abstract 
right  against  wrong,  justice  to  be  done,  and  Harriet  Beecher 
Stowe  was  impelled  to  choose  her  course,  even  if  for  the 
time  it  was  necessary  to  bear  aspersion  and  perhaps  leave 
this  action  behind  her,  as  a  blot  upon  her  fair  fame  upon 
earth. 

It  was  greatness,  to  remove  this  principle  from  its  worldly 
•environment,  and  courage,  to  act  conscientiously,  with  a 
premonition  of  the  anguish  she  must  inevitably  endure. 
Mrs.  Stowe  suffered,  walking  with  tears  and  bleeding  feet 
among  the  sharp  thorns  of  invective  and  misconstruction 
which  sprang  up  with  her  seed  of  truth,  but  she  never 
wavered,  though  carrying  to  her  grave  the  memory  of  her 
wounds. 

A  few  years  before  her  death,  the  writer,  then  failing  to 
realize  what  a  pain  it  had  been  to  her,  once  referred  to  the 
subject  in  conversation.  Her  face  flushed  deeply,  but  she 
raised  her  clear  eyes  with  a  sad  smile,  saying,  "Yes;  it 
was  a  hard  thing  to  do.  What  a  storm  the  critics  did 
raise  about  it.  But  I  shall  never  be  sorry  I  wrote  it.  It 
was  right,  and  the  devil  and  all  his  angels  could  not  make 
me  sorry." 


CHAPTER  XIX. 

"  MY  WIFE  AND  I ;  OR  HARRY  HENDERSON'S  HISTORY."  A 
SERIAL  IN  "THE  CHRISTIAN  UNION."  THE  STORY  OF  A 
YANKEE  BOY,  WHO  GOES  TO  COLLEGE,  ADOPTS  LITERATURE 
AS  A  PROFESSION  IN  NEW  YORK,  THE  FRAMEWORK  UPON 
WHICH  TO  HANG  MANY  INTERESTING  DISCUSSIONS.  "  PINK 
AND  WHITE  TYRANNY."  A  SOCIETY  NOVEL  WITH  AN 
ADMITTED  MORAL.  "  PALMETTO  LEAVES."  PICTURESQUE 
AND  SUGGESTIVE  LETTERS  FROM  FLORIDA.  "  POGANUC 
PEOPLE."  THE  LAST  IMPORTANT  WORK  OF  THE  AUTHOR 
OF  "  UNCLE  TOM'S  CABIN."  AGAIN  THE  LOVES  AND  LIVES 
OF  PLAIN  NEW  ENGLAND  FOLK.  MUCH  OF  THIS  STORY 
AUTOBIOGRAPHICAL.  AN  INSTRUCTIVE  ACCOUNT  OF  THE 
RELIGION  ESTABLISHED  BY  LAW  IN  NEW  ENGLAND.  MRS. 
STOWE'S  CHILDISH  RELIGIOUS  EXPERIENCES.  THE  CON 
VERSION  OF  ZEPH  HIGGINS  AT  THE  SCHOOL  HOUSE  MEET 
ING.  ONE  OF  THE  MOST  INTENSELY  POWERFUL  AND 
DRAMATIC  SCENES  EVER  DEPICTED.  THE  CELEBRATION 
OF  THE  SEVENTIETH  BIRTHDAY  OF  HARRIET  BEECHER 
STOWE.  A  GARDEN  PARTY  AT  THE  HOME  OF  HON.  AND 
MRS.  WILLIAM  CLAFLIN  AT  NEWTONVILLE,  NEAR  BOSTON. 

AT  this  period  Mrs.  Stowe's  name  was  associated  with 
that  of  her  sister  Catherine  in  the  publication  of  a  work 
called  "The  American  Woman's  Home,"  but  we  are 
informed  she  was  able  to  write  very  few  of  the  pages  which 
pleasantly  discussed  domestic  economy. 
404 


UNCLE   TOM'S  CABIN.  405 

In  1870,  Mrs.  Stowe  began  a  serial  story  in  The  Christian 
Union,  to  which  her  favorite  brother  had  transferred  his 
interest,  called  "My  wife  and  I,  or  Harry  Henderson's 
History." 

It  opened  in  a  manner  particularly  felicitous,  showing  the 
author's  progress  in  graceful  expression  and  lightness  of 
touch,  in  which  she  acknowledged  that  her  aim  was  not  so 
much  the  making  of  a  story,  as  to  promulgate  certain  ideas 
which  such  a  vehicle  enabled  her  to  ventilate. 

In  the  history  of  Harry  Henderson,  a  plain  Yankee  boy 
from  the  mountains  of  New  Hampshire,  through  his  child 
hood  and  youth,  serious  love  affairs,  and  experiences  as  a 
Benedict,  and  a  citizen  of  New  York  city,  all  the  topics  of  the 
time  were  freely  discussed.  There  is  much  that  is  tender 
and  moving  in  the  writer's  sympathetic  appreciation  of  the 
difficulties  of  "  being  a  boy,"  and  many  reflections  which 
emanate  from  her  childish  memories  of  her  own  father  and 
mother,  and  brothers  and  sisters  ;  as,  for  instance,  when  she 
describes  the  close  and  confidential  companionship  of  Harry 
Henderson's  parents,  we  receive  an  impression  of  the  intel 
lectual  relations  of  her  own  father  and  mother. 

"  With  her  he  discussed  the  plans  of  his  discourses,  and  at  her 
dictation  changed,  improved,altered  and  added ;  and  under  the  brood 
ing  influence  of  her  mind,  new  and  finer  traits  of  tenderness  and 
spirituality  pervaded  his  character  and  his  teachings.  In  fact, 
my  father  once  said  to  me,  "  She  made  me  by  her  influence.*' 

See  Mrs.  Stowe's  estimate  of  real  poverty,  and  the 
greatest  evil  following  straightened  means. 

"  But  my  father  and  mother,  though  living  on  a  narrow  income, 
were  never  really  poor.  The  chief  evil  of  poverty  is  the  crushing 


406  THE  LIFE  WORK   OF   THE   AUTHOR   OF 

of  ideality  out  of  life — the  taldng  away  its  poetry  and  substitu 
ting  hard  prose  ; — and  this  with  them  was  impossible.  My  father 
loved  the  work  he  did,  as  the  artist  loves  his  painting  and  the 
sculptor  his  chisel.  A  man  needs  less  money  when  he  is  doing 
only  what  he  loves  to  do — what,  in  fact,  he  must  do, — pay  or  no 
pay. 

"  In  the  midst  of  our  large  family,  of  different  ages,  of  vigorous 
growth,  of  great  individuality  and  forcefulness  of  expression,  my 
mother's  was  the  administrative  power.  My  father  habitually  re 
ferred  everything  to  her,  and  leaned  on  her  advice  with  a  childlike 
dependence.  She  read  the  character  of  each,  she  mediated  be 
tween  opposing  natures ;  she  translated  the  dialect  of  different 
sorts  of  spirits  to  each  other.  In  a  family  of  young  children, 
there  is  a  chance  for  every  sort  and  variety  of  natures  and  for 
natures  whose  modes  of  feeling  are  as  foreign  to  each  other,  as  those 
of  the  French  and  the  English.  It  needs  a  common  interpreter, 
who  understands  every  dialect  of  the  soul,  thus  to  translate  differ 
ences  of  individuality  into  a  common  language  of  love." 

Her  estimate  of  the  unselfish  child  love  which  a  boy 
often  gives  an  infantile  playmate  is  particularly  sweet,  and 
her  idea  of  its  worthy  reflex  influence,  tender  and  delicate 
in  the  extreme. 

Again,  she  whimsically  sets  forth  one  of  the  theological 
encounters  which  were  so  familiar  to  her  whole  life. 

"  Uncle  Jacob  was  a  church  member  in  good  standing,  but  in 
the  matter  of  belief  he  was  somewhat  like  a  high-mettled  horse  in 
a  pasture, — he  enjoyed  once  in  a  while  having  a  free  argumenta 
tive  race  with  my  father  all  round  the  theological  lot.  Away  he 
would  go  in  full  career,  dodging  definitions,  doubling  and  turning 
with  elastic  dexterity,  and  sometimes  ended  by  leaping  over  all  the 
fences,  with  most  astounding  assertions,  after  which  he  would 
calm  down,  and  gradually  suffer  the  theological  saddle  and  bridle 


UNCLE   TOM'S   CABIN.  407 

to  be  put  on  him  and  go  on  with  edifying  paces,  apparently  much 
refreshed  by  his  metaphysical  capers." 

She  testifies  unmistakably  in  favor  of  co-education,  and 
the  value  of  preserving  religious  exercises  as  a  daily  regime 
at  college.  Her  ideas  upon  this  point  are  worthy  of 
notice. 

"  Now  it  is  one  peculiarity  of  the  professors  of  the  Christian 
religion  that  they  have  not,  at  least  of  late  years,  arranged  their 
system  of  education  with  any  wise  adaptation  to  having  their 
young  men  come  out  of  it  Christians.  In  this  they  differ  from 
many  other  religionists.  The  Brahmins  educate  their  sons  so  that 
they  shall  infallibly  become  Brahmins  ;  the  Jews  so  that  they  shall 
infallibly  be  Jews  ;  the  Mohammedans  so  that  they  shall  be  Mo 
hammedans  ;  but  the  Christians  educate  their  sons  so  that  nearly 
half  of  them  turn  out  unbelievers — professors  of  no  religion  at  all 

"  There  is  a  book  which  the  Christian  world  unite  in  declaring 
to  be  an  infallible  revelation  from  Heaven.  It  has  been  the  judg 
ment  of  critics  that  the  various  writings  in  this  volume  excel  other 
writings  in  point  of  mere  literary  merit  as  much  as  they  do  in 
purity  and  elevation  of  the  moral  sentiment.  Yet  it  is  remark 
able  that  the  critical  study  of  these  sacred  writings  in  their  origi 
nal  tongues  is  not  in  most  of  our  Christian  colleges  considered  as 
an  essential  part  of  the  education  of  a  Christian  gentleman,  while 
the  heathen  literature  of  Greece  and  Rome  is  treated  as  something 
indispensable,  and  to  be  gained  at  all  hazards." 

The  recent  discussion  upon  the  desirability  of  a  course 
of  Bible  study  as  a  means  not  only  of  religious  training 
but  critical  and  scientific  culture  as  well,  in  which  T.  T. 
Munger,  Newton  M.  Hall  and  Samuel  Hart  have  taken  a 
prominent  part,  and  the  adoption  of  such  a  study  as  a  new 


408  THE   LIFE   WORK   OF   THE   AUTHOR   OF 

feature  in  the  curriculum  of  Dartmouth  and  other  colleges, 
testify  to  the  wisdom  and  practicability  of  Mrs.  Stowed 
suggestion,  made  twenty  years  ago. 

Her  view  of  theological  creeds,  shows  the  stand  she  had 
taken  early  in  life  and  found  comforting  to  the  end. 

"  You  see,  as  to  the  theologies,  I  think  it  has  been  well  said 
that  the  Christian  world  just  now  is  like  a  ship  that's  tacking.  It 
has  lost  the  wind  on  one  side  and  not  quite  got  it  on  the  other. 
The  growth  of  society,  the  development  of  new  physical  laws,  and 
this  modern  scientific  rush  of  the  human  mind  is  going  to  modify 
the  man-made  theologies  and  creeds;  some  of  them  will  drop 
away  just  as  the  blossom  does  when  the  fruit  forms,  but  Christ's 
religion  will  be  just  the  same  as  ever — His  words  will  not  pass 
away." 

Mrs.  Stowe  makes  Harry  Henderson  a  journalist  and 
an  author,  and  thus  opens  a  new  field  for  her  discussion. 
She  demonstrates  the  moral  responsibility  of  authorship, 
and  the  effervescent  personality  of  Jim  Fellows,  the  rat 
tling  reporter  and  book  critic,  whom  we  recognize  as 
nearly  related  to  Frank  Russell,  our  sprightly  acquaintance 
in  "Dred,"  and  Bob  Stephens,  Christopher  Crowfield's 
bright  son-in-law,  is  here  intensified  into  one  of  the  best 
characters  she  has  ever  drawn.  His  exposition  of  the 
methods  and  moving  springs  of  journalism,  and  critical 
decisions  upon  literary  works,  must  indeed  have  been 
decidedly  quickening  to  the  public  pulse,  and  have  caused 
some  calloused  consciences  to  twitch  in  an  uncomfortable 
manner. 

But  now  we  begin  to  smile  affectionately  at  the  writer 
who  has  shown  such  Herculean  strength  upon  great  ques- 


UNCLE   TOM'S  CABIN.  409 

tions,  for  such  trustfulness  of  the  great  metropolitan  world 
as  she  evinces  in  the  liberties  allowed  to  her  characters, 
would  invite  every  species  of  social  impositions,  many  of 
them  perhaps  more  serious  than  any  degree  of  drawing-room 
"  buncoism  "  yet  developed. 

Harry  Henderson  meets  his  future  wife  in  a  Fifth  Avenue 
stage,  makes  her  acquaintance  in  a  surprisingly  unconven 
tional  manner,  one  which  it  may  be  conjectured  the  author 
would  not  have  wholly  approved  outside  of  her  manuscript, 
and  without  more  ado  than  a  polite  word,  accompanies  her 
home,  shielding  her  by  his  umbrella  from  the  rain,  and  as  a 
reward  receives  an  unhesitating  invitation  to  call !  It  was 
before  the  days  of  American  chaperones,  but  even  the  more 
lax  forms  of  society  in  that  day,  would  hardly  seem  to  have 
quite  sanctioned  the  immediate  confidence  given  to  the  hero. 

There  follows  a  glimpse  of  social  life  from  the  same  very 
unworldly  standpoint,  but  her  young  men  and  women  are 
good,  sound  characters,  who  talk  well,  so  well  that  we 
hardly  believe  in  them.  But  of  necessity  they  must  do 
this  in  a  work  where  they  are  employed  as  forms  upon 
which  to  hang  the  ethical  arguments,  which  are  so  exe 
crated  by  the  modern  school  of  critics.  There  is  no  dis 
guise  about  these  pills  of  wisdom.  True,  they  are  pleas 
antly  sugar-coated,  but  they  are  openly  administered,  with 
a  spoonful  of  diversion  to  carry  them  down.  And  they  are 
extremely  wholesome  and  beneficial. 

Ida  Yan  Arsdel,  the  young  woman  philosopher,  is  a  good 
character  and  says  and  does  very  sensible  and  stimulating 
things,  embodying  Mrs.  Stowe's  opinions  upon  the  best 
possibilities  for  young  women,  who  do  not  marry. 

In  the  introduction  to  "  The  Illuminati "  we  find  descrip- 


410  THE  LIFE   WORK  OF   THE   AUTHOR   OF 

tions  and  a  discussion  which  resulted  in  considerable  amuse 
ment  to  the  public,  and  some  heart-burnings  among  near 
friends  of  the  author.  Many  readers  thought  they  saw  in  the 
character  of  Mrs.  Stella  Cerulean, — Mrs.  Stowe's  own  sis 
ter — Mrs.  Hooker.  She  is  set  forth  as  "  a  brilliant  woman 
beautiful  in  person,  full  of  genius,  full  of  enthusiasm,  full  of 
self-confidence,  the  most  charming  of  talkers,  the  most  fas 
cinating  of  women"  who  "had  one  simple  remedy  for  the 
reconstruction  of  society,  about  whose  immediate  applica 
tion  she  saw  not  the  slightest  difficulty,"  which  was  by  giv 
ing  the  affairs  of  the  world,  forthwith  into  the  hands  of 
women ;  who  felt  that  those  who  claimed  merely  equality 
for  women  were  behind  the  age,  women  being  the  superior, 
the  divine  sex. 

This  lady  had  recently  allied  herself  with  the  woman  suf 
frage  movement,  and  one  of  its  leading  women,  of  whom 
for  specially  aggravating  reasons,  Mrs.  Stowe  and  most  of 
the  friends  of  Henry  Ward  Beecher,  strongly  disapproved. 
But  this  interpretation,  which  naturally  followed  the  fact  of 
the  estrangement  between  herself  and  this  sister,  Mrs.  Stowe 
afterwards  disavowed.  It  was,  however,  a  strong  presenta 
tion  of  the  extreme  views  then  held  and  promulgated  by 
a  certain  class  of  hasty  reformers,  and  a  source  of  deep  satis 
faction  to  many  conservative  readers. 

The  depiction  of  Miss  Audacia  Dangereyes  who  marches 
into  the  office  of  Harry  Henderson  and  Jim  Fellows,  suc 
cessfully  enforcing  a  subscription  to  her  paper,  could  point 
to  none  other  than  Yictoria  Woodhull,  and  the  scene  shows 
the  results  of  notions  such  as  she  held,  carried  to  their 
logical  extreme.  The  account  of  her  interview  with  the 


UNCLE   TOM'S  CABIN.  411 

sprightly  and  imperturbable  Jim  Fellows,  is  richly  humorous 
and  entertaining. 

The  sketch  of  Bolton,  the  noble,  finely  educated,  home 
loving  fellow,  whose  life  was  darkened  by  an  insane  appetite 
for  stimulants,  is  drawn  from  the  wells  of  bitter  knowledge 
and  deep  feeling,  and  appeals  most  powerfully  to  those  who 
know  by  terrible  experience  of  the  bondage  of  body  and  soul 
into  which  human  nature  can  fall,  through  this  unnatural 
appetite. 

The  progress  of  the  hero  and  pretty  bird-like  Eva  Yan 
Arsdel,  from  admiration  to  friendship  and  love,  with  the 
various  questions  upon  mercenary  marriages  which  are 
induced  by  the  existence  of  a  rich  rival,  and  the  relation  of 
social  life  to  church  affairs,  permit  all  manner  of  discussion. 
In  the  description  of  the  match  game  of  croquet,  which  con 
siderably  advances  Harry  Henderson's  love  affairs,  we  have 
a  bit  of  writing  as  fine,  in  its  small  way,  as  the  Chariot 
Eace  or  the  Naval  Encounter  of  the  slave-manned  galleys, 
of  Ben  Hur. 

The  loss  of  Papa  Van  Arsdel's  money,  gives  Eva  to 
Harry,  her  true  lover,  and  their  marriage  follows,  with  the 
home-making  in  which  Jim  Fellows  is  the  most  competent 
and  ubiquitous  assistant,  and  the  story  closes. 

"  My  wife  and  I  "  and  its  sequel,  "  We  and  Our  Neigh 
bors,"  which  continue  the  characters  under  new  conditions, 
and  the  discussions  of  those  changing  experiences,  are  not 
great  works,  though  they  are  full  of  homely  wisdom  which 
perhaps  may  avail  as  much  as  brilliant  genius,  in  the  pro 
gress  of  civilization.  In  these  latter  books,  the  weightier 
problems  of  life  are  left,  and  the  writer  drops  into  delight- 


412  THE   LIFE   WORK   OF   THE   AUTHOR   OF 

ful  disquisitions  upon  every-day  possibilities  for  good  and 
pleasantness. 

The  burning  inspiration  of  the  earlier  works  of  the 
author  of  "  Uncle  Tom's  Cabin,"  glows  tenderly  now  in 
the  evening  shadows,  her  stern  opposition  to  great  wrongs 
is  softened  and  sweetened  into  less  intensity  in  these  essays 
upon  social  life.  So,  the  pungent  sharpness  of  the  green  age 
of  the  best  fruit,  is  by  time,  matured  and  softened,  taking 
on  new  and  delicious  flavors  which  are  the  fitting  charm  of 
waning  vigor.  These  books  were  published  by  J.  B.  Ford 
and  Co.,  in  1871  and  1873. 

"Pink  and  White  Tyranny,"  a  story  also  to  be  classed 
among  Mrs.  Stowe's  minor  works,  was  published  by  Koberts 
Brothers  of  Boston,  in  the  year  1871.  It  was  termed  a  society 
novel  and  admitted  to  have  a  moral.  As  the  title  indicates, 
it  is  descriptive  of  the  absolute  power,  seriously  misused, 
of  a  pretty,  frivolous  woman,  not  only  upon  her  unfortunate 
husband,  but  over  society,  which  agreed  that  it  was  easier 
to  succumb  to  her  petulant  sway,  than  to  oppose  her. 

The  heroine  is  one  of  Mrs.  Stowe's  butterfly  women,  and 
this  time  is  a  consistent  character,  full  of  whims  and  caprices 
which  spring  from  unadulterated  selfishness,  which  the  pret- 
tiriess  and  coquetry  of  the  little  sinner  do  not  excuse,  though 
her  beauty  and  shallowness  sufficiently  account  for  her  con 
duct.  She  comes  through  a  career  of  flirtation,  which  though 
somewhat  modified  by  modern  restrictions,  is  quite  possible 
in  our  society,  to  a  marriage  which  is  a  natural  result,  when 
a  great  hearted,  unsophisticated,  wealthy,  young  man  from 
a  country  town,  comes  in  contact  with  a  calculating  and  fin 
ished  coquette. 

Through  different  phases  and  experiences  of  social  exis- 


UNCLE   TOM'S   CABIN. 

tence  in  a  country  town  of  Massachusetts,  a  season  at  New 
port,  and  some  festivities  in  New  York,  we  are  led  with,  the 
frail  heroine,  and  the  companionship  of  her  friends,  the 
Follingsbees,  whose  vulgarity  and  pretentiousness  are 
cleverly  shown,  until  her  home  and  her  husband  are 
neglected,  and  poor  John  Seymour  turns  to  his  sister  for 
consolation,  eventually  finding  in  his  child,  the  comfort 
he  has  missed  in  the  frivolous  and  heartless  wife. 

It  is  forcibly  set  down,  that  in  spite  of  his  wrongs,  John 
Seymour  bears  with  the  spirit  becoming  a  man,  his  disap 
pointment  in  life,  and  the  petty  annoyances  which  amount 
to  tyranny  in  his  wife,  accepting  his  destiny,  with  no  idea 
of  escaping  from  it,  because  he  took  his  pretty  wife  as  it 
has  transpired  "  for  worse."  We  quote  the  author's  moral— 

"  We  have  brought  our  story  up  to  this  point.  We  informed 
our  readers  in  the  beginning  that  it  was  not  a  novel,  but  a  story 
with  a  moral ;  and,  as  people  pick  all  sorts  of  strange  morals  out  of 
stories,  we  intend  to  put  conspicuously  into  our  story  exactly  what 
the  moral  of  it  is. 

"  Well,  then,  it  has  been  very  surprising  to  us  to  see  in  these 
our  times  that  some  people,  who  really  at  heart  have  the  interest, 
of  women  upon  their  minds,  have  been  so  short-sighted  and  reck 
less  as  to  clamor  for  an  easy  dissolution  of  the  marriage-contract, 
as  a  means  of  righting  their  wrongs.  Is  it  possible  that  they  do 
not  see  that  this  is  a  liberty  which,  if  once  granted,  would  always 
tell  against  the  weaker  sex  ?  If  the  woman  who  finds  that  she 
has  made  a  mistake,  and  married  a  man  unkind  or  uncongenial, 
may,  on  the  discovery  of  it,  leave  him  and  seek  her  fortune  with 
another,  so  also  may  a  man.  And  what  will  become  of  women 
like  Lillie,  when  the  first  gilding  begins  to  wear  off,  if  the  man 
who  has  taken  one  of  them  shall  be  at  liberty  to  cast  her  off  and 


414  THE   LIFE   WOKK  OF   THE   AUTHOK   OF 

seek  another  ?  Have  we  not  enough  now  of  miserable,  broken- 
winged  butterflies,  that  sink  down,  down,  down  into  the  mud  of 
the  street  ?  But  are  women-reformers  going  to  clamor  for  having 
every  woman  turned  out  helpless,  when  t*he  man  who  has  married 
her  and  made  her  a  mother,  discovers  that  she  has  not  the  pow 
er  to  interest  him  and  to  help  his  higher  spiritual  development  ?  It 
was  because  woman  is  helpless  and  weak,  and  because  Christ  was 
her  great  Protector,  that  he  made  the  law  of  marriage  irrevocable. 
Whosoever  putteth  away  his  wife  causeth  her  to  commit  adultery. 
If  the  sacredness  of  the  marriage-contract  did  not  hold,  if  the 
Church  and  all  good  men  and  all  good  women  did  not  uphold  it 
with  their  might  and  main,  it  is  easy  to  see  where  the  career  of 
many  women  like  Lillie  would  end.  Men  have  the  power  to  re 
flect  before  the  choice  is  made ;  and  that  is  the  only  proper  time 
for  reflection.  But,  when  once  marriage  is  made  and  consum 
mated,  it  should  be  as  fixed  a  fact  as  the  laws  of  nature.  And  they 
who  suffer  under  its  stringency  should  sufter  as  those  who  endure 
for  the  public  good.  '  He  that  sweareth  to  his  own  hurt,  and 
changeth  not,  he  shall  enter  into  the  tabernacle  of  the  Lord.' " 

As  usual,  Harriet  Beecher  Stowe  spoke  for  the  enduring 
things  of  this  life,  and  against  the  ephemeral  ideas  which 
come  and  go  with  every  decade,  sometimes  indeed  appear 
ing  to  possess  qualities  which  answer  to  reason,  and  seem 
to  be  confirmed  by  the  logic  of  many  instances,  but  which 
enfl,  by  receding  to  the  background  before  the  evident  good 
to  the  greatest  number,  which  Heaven-ordained  laws  and 
the  facts  of  every-day  life,  are  seen  to  demonstrate. 

"  Pink  and  White  Tyranny  ''  is  written  off-hand,  and  is 
full  of  the  disillusions  of  the  author's  entrance  into  the 
story,  in  various  philosophical  observations  to  the  reader. 
But  we  have  learned  to  expect  this  from  Mrs.  Stowe  and 
are  always  glad  to  see  her  thrust  her  head  from  behind  the 


UNCLE   TOM'S   CABIN.  415 

scenes  and  explain  the  play.  Dickens  had  a  way  of  stop 
ping  to  pet  his  characters  in  the  most  artless  manner,  and 
Mrs.  Stowe  not  only  does  this,  but  takes  the  reader  into  her 
confidence  upon  all  questions,  in  a  way  that  would  be  sur 
prising,  were  it  not  so  cordially  done  that  it  appears  to  be 
quite  the  proper  thing,  if  a  little  unconventional. 

Under  the  suggestive  and  attractive  title  of  "  Palmetto 
Leaves  "  was  published  in  1873,  by  (James  K.  Osgood  &  Co.,  of 
Boston),  a  collection  of  Florida  letters  written  by  Mrs.  Stowe 
from  her  plantation  at  Mandarin,  which  had  appeared  in 
The  Christian  Union.  A  southern  writer  recently  stated 
that  her  letters  from  her  home  upon  the  St.  John's  river, 
upon  orange  growing  in  Florida,  as  well  as  the  open 
ing  for  successful  market  gardening  there,  brought  thou 
sands  of  people  to  the  state.  She  wrote  of  a  "  Flowery 
January,"  a  "  Water  Coach  and  a  Eide  In  It,"  "  Mag 
nolia  "  and  "  Yellow  Jessamines ;  "  of  "  Florida  for  In 
valids,"  and  "  Swamps  and  Orange  Trees  "  in  so  vivid  and 
picturesque  language  that  thousands  of  readers  felt  and 
gratified  a  deep  longing,  for  the  soft  atmosphere  and  luscious 
fruits  and  dazzling  flowers  of  the  South-land. 

In  answer  to  hundreds  of  letters  which  poured  in  upon 
her  at  Mandarin,  she  also  wrote  of  more  practical  themes 
such  as  "Buying  Land  in  Florida."  u  Our  Experience  in 
Crops  "  and  "  The  Laborers  of  the  South  "  in  her  own  in 
imitable  and  instructive  style.  This  southern  home  was 
the  romance  of  her  mature  life,  the  haven  of  her  desires, 
which  after  a  few  weeks  of  frost  and  snow  each  year,  would 
not  be  denied,  and  by  January  the  family  were  usually  en 
route  for  the  winter  home  in  the  summer  land,  upon  the 
silver  St.  Johns  river. 


416  THE  LIFE   WORK   OF   THE   AUTHOR   OF 

In  1873  Mrs.  Stowe  prepared  a  set  of  sketches  of  women 
in  Sacred  History.  It  was  a  superb  volume,  which,  in  its 
plainest  binding,  sold  for  six  dollars,  and  was  illustrated 
with  sixteen  chromo  lithographs,  after  paintings  by 
Raphael,  Batoni,  Baader,  Yernet,  Delaroche,  Portaels,  Good- 
all,  Koehler,  Landelle,  Merle,  Devodeux,  Yernet-Le- 
comte  and  Boulanger.  It  was  a  new  departure  in  the  his 
tory  of  book  illustration,  and  its  publishers,  J.  B.  Ford  & 
Co.,  of  New  York,  were  justly  proud  of  the  enterprise. 
The  subjects  treated  were:  1,  Sarah,  the  Princess;  2, 
Hagar,  the  Slave;  3,  Rebekah,  the  Bride;  4,  Leah  and 
Rachael.  These  were  selected  from  the  Patriarchal  Ages. 

Those:  of  the  National  Period  were:  5,  Miriam,  Sister 
of  Moses;  6,  Deborah,  the  Prophetess;  7,  Delilah,  the 
Destroyer;  8,  Jeptha's  Daughter;  9,  Hannah,  the  Praying 
Mother;  .10,  Ruth,  the  Moabitess;  11,  The  Witch  of 
Endor;  12,  Queen  Esther;  13,  Judith,  the  Deliverer. 

The  women  of  the  Christain  Era  were:  14,  Mary,  the 
Mythical  Madonna;  15,  Mary,  the  Mother  of  Jesus;  16, 
The  Woman  of  Samaria;  17,  The  Daughter  of  Herodias  ; 
18,  Mary  Magdalene ;  19,  Martha  and  Mary. 

Mrs.  Stowe's  affection  for  the  Bible  and  its  grand  teach 
ings,  no  less  than  her  education  and  mental  characteristics, 
made  her  peculiarly  fitted  to  bring  these  historic  characters 
out  of  the  false  and  unnatural  light  in  which  they  have 
appeared  to  many,  showing  them  as  real  flesh  and  blood, 
human  beings  calling  forth  an  interest  and  sympathy  which 
is  seldom  felt  for  those  who  lived  in  those  far-off  times. 

The  book  in  its  original  form  was  so  successful,  it  was 
thought  well  to  enlarge  the  plan,  and  it  was  therefore  put 
forth  in  quarto  form  in  twenty -five  parts,  illustrated 


THE  "WINTER  HOME  AT  MANDARINE,  FLA. 


UNCLE   TOM'S  CABIN.  417 

with  the  original  sixteen  chromo  lithographs  and  nine  more. 
The  text  also  was  enlarged  by  the  introduction  of  selected 
poems  bearing  upon  the  subjects,  from  well-known  writers. 

Then,  later,  when  this  large  and  expensive  work  had  had 
its  natural  course,  the  book  was  published  in  smaller  form 
and  called  "  Bible  Heroines."  The  sale  reached  some 
thing  like  50,000  copies. 

Another  work  of  religious  interest  was  shortly  after 
compiled  by  Mrs.  Stowe. 

It  was  entitled  "  Footsteps  of  the  Master,"  and  consisted 
of  meditations  upon  the  Life  of  Christ  with  appropriate 
poems,  carols  and  hymns,  original  and  selected. 

It  showed  the  author  to  be  a  devout  student  of  theologi 
cal  lore  and  in  its  arrangement,  in  the  order  of  the  Church 
Festivals  of  the  Christian  Year,  testified  to  her  preference 
for  the  Anglican  observances. 

She  had  become  attached  to  the  Episcopal  Church» 
largely  through  the  influence  of  her  son-in-law,  and  found  a 
peculiar  beauty  and  usefulness  in  its  ceremonials. 

This  volume  was  also  published  by  J.  B.  Ford  and  Co. 
having  a  good  sale. 

After  a  period  of  some  years  of  waning  activity,  Mrs. 
Stowe  began  the  writing  of  her  last  story,  "  Poganuc  Peo 
ple."  With  it  practically  ended  her  remarkable  literary 
career,  which  extended  over  twenty-five  years  of  her  mature 
life,  and  comprised  more  force  and  originality  than  the 
work  of  any  other  American  woman.  In  the  books  just 
preceding  the  religious  works  above  referred  to,  Mrs.  Stowe 
had  been  upon  unfamiliar  ground,  or  one  might  say, 
promulgating  themes  that  were  not  indigenous  to  the  soil 
from  which  sprang  her  great  "Uncle  Tom's  Cabin," 


418  THE   LIFE  WOKK   OF   THE   AUTHOR   OF 

"The  Minister's  Wooing,"  "The  Pearl  of  Orr's  Island" 
and  "Old  Town  Folks."  These  must  remain  her  distin 
guishing  successes,  when  her  other  books  are  forgotten. 

To  this  list  of  creations,  which  carry  inherent  strength 
and  vitality  in  their  very  atmosphere,  evincing  a  genius 
which  George  Sand  described  as  "  pure,  penetrating  and 
profound,  one  which  fathoms  the  recesses  of  the  human 
soul,"  she  was  about  to  add  another,  her  last  important  work, 
embracing  her  own  preferred  themes,  and  those  which  took 
firmest  hold  upon  the  sympathies  of  her  readers.  As  she 
began  in  the  Mayflower,  the  first  success  of  her  girlhood, 
so  she  ended,  in  "  Poganuc  People,"  reproducing  the  loves 
and  lives  of  New  England  folk,  illuminating  and  throwing 
in  relief  as  no  other  writer  has  done,  the  amusing  pecu 
liarities  and  the  pure  worth  of  homely  character,  which 
pertained  to  the  immediate  descendants  of  the  Puritans. 

"  Poganuc  People  "  returns  to  Litchfield,  as  the  thoughts 
and  memories  of  age  turn  again  to  scenes  and  impressions 
of  childhood,  and  the  story  is  largely  autobiographical. 
We  are  again  led  into  an  old-fashioned  kitchen  of  seventy 
years  ago,  and  see  through  the  eyes  of  an  observant  and 
sensitive  child,  the  kind  homeliness  of  "  Nabby  "  the  young 
woman  who  "  helped  "  the  minister's  wife,  and  feel  some 
thing  of  the  interest  which  went  out  from  the  childish 
heart  towards  the  festivities  which  were  going  on  at  that 
Christmas  season  at  the  Episcopal  church,  from  which  she 
was  tacitly  forbidden  by  her  father,  who  was  true  to  his 
Presbyterian  principles. 

The  author's  discussion  of  the  state  of  religious  affairs  in 
Poganuc,  affords  an  instructive  idea  of  the  condition  of  the 
church  which  was  in  existence  in  New  England,  and  particu- 


UNCLE   TOM'S  CABIN.  419 

larly  in  Connecticut,  at  this  time.  It  is  a  picture  that  holds 
much  that  is  properly  a  source  of  pride  to  Americans,  for 
though  it  has  of  late  become  the  fashion  to  pick  flaws  in 
the  regime  of  the  Pilgrim  fathers,  it  is  only  little  minds 
that  can  underrate  the  vitalizing  force  with  which  their 
system  of  church  and  state,  imbued  every  character. 

"The  Episcopal  Church  in  New  England  in  the  early  days  was 
emphatically  a  root  out  of  dry  ground,  with  as  little  foothold  in 
popular  sympathy  as  one  of  those  storm-driven  junipers,  that  the 
east  wind  blows  all  aslant,  has  in  the  rocky  ledges  of  Cape  Cod. 
The  soil,  the  climate,  the  atmosphere,  the  genius,  and  the  history 
of  the  people  were  all  against  it.  Its  forms  and  ceremonies  were 
all  associated  with  the  persecution  which  drove  the  Puritans  out 
of  England  and  left  them  no  refuge  but  the  rock-bound  shores  of 
America.  It  is  true  that  in  the  time  of  Governor  Winthrop  the 
colony  of  Massachusetts  appealed  with  affectionate  professions  to 
their  Mother,  the  Church  of  England,  and  sought  her  sympathy 
and  her  prayers ;  but  it  is  also  unfortunately  true  that  the  forms 
of  the  Church  of  England  were  cultivated  and  maintained  in 
New  England  by  the  very  party  whose  intolerance  and  tyranny 
brought  on  the  Revolutionary  war. 

"  All  the  oppressive  governors  of  the  colonies  were  Episcopa 
lians,  and  in  the  Revolutionary  struggle  the  Episcopal  Church  was 
very  generally  on  the  Tory  side  ;  hence,  the  New  Englanders 
came  to  have  an  aversion  to  its  graceful  and  beautiful  ritual  and 
forms,  for  the  same  reason  that  the  free  party  in  Spain  and  Italy 
now  loath  the  beauties  of  the  Romish  Church,  as  signs  and  sym 
bols  of  tyranny  and  oppression. 

"  Congregationalism — or,  as  it  was  then  called  by  the  common 
people,  Presbyterianism — was  the  religion  established  by  law  in 
New  England.  It  was  the  State  Church.  Even  in  Boston  in  its 
colonial  days,  the  King's  Chapel  and  Old  North  were  only  dis- 


420  THE   LIFE   WORK   OF   THE   AUTHOR   OF 

senting  churches,  unrecognized  by  the  State,  but  upheld  by  the 
patronage  of  the  colonial  governors  who  were  sent  over  to  them 
from  England.  For  a  long  time  after  the  Revolutionary  war  the 
old  regime  of  the  State  Church  held  undisputed  sway  in  New  Eng 
land.  There  was  the  one  meeting-house,  the  one  minister,  in 
every  village.  Every  householder  was  taxed  for  the  support  of 
public  worship,  and  stringent  law  and  custom  demanded  of  every 
one  a  personal  attendance  on  Sunday  at  both  services.  If  any 
defaulter  failed  to  put  in  an  appearance  it  was  the  minister's  duty 
to  call  promptly  on  Monday  and  know  the  reason  why.  There 
was  no  differences  of  religious  opinion.  All  that  individualism 
which  now  raises  a  crop  of  various  little  churches  in  every  country 
village  was  sternly  suppressed.  For  many  years  only  members  of 
churches  could  be  eligible  to  public  offices  ;  Sabbath-keeping  was 
enforced  with  more  than  Mosaic  strictness,  and  New  England  jus 
tified  the  sarcasm  which  said  that  they  had  left  the  Lords-Bishops 
to  be  under  the  Lords-Brethren.  In  those  days  if  a  sectarian 
meeting  of  Methodists  or  Baptists,  or  an  unseemly  gathering  of 
any  kind,  seemed  impending,  the  minister  had  only  to  put  on  his 
cocked  hat,  take  his  gold- headed  cane  and  march  down  the. village 
street,  leaving  his  prohibition  at  every  house,  and  the  thing  was 
so  done,  even  as  he  commanded. 

"  In  the  very  nature*  of  things  such  a  state  of  society  could  not 
endure.  The  shock  that  separated  the  nation  from  a  king  and 
monarchy,  the  sense  of  freedom  and  independence,  the  hardihood  of 
thought  which  led  to  the  founding  of  a  new  civil  republic,  were  fatal 
to  all  religious  restraint.  Even  before  the  Revolutionary  war 
there  were  independent  spirits  that  chafed  under  the  constraint  of 
clerical  supervision,  and  Ethan  Allen  advertised  his  farm  and 
stock  for  sale,  expressing  his  determination  at  any  cost  to  get  out 
of '  this  old  holy  State  of  Connecticut.' 

"  It  was  but  a  little  while  after  the  close  of  the  war  that  estab 
lished  American  independence  that  the  revolution  came  which 


UNCLE  TOM'S  CABIN".  421 

broke  up  the  State  Church  and  gave  to  every  man  the  liberty  of 
1  signing  off,'  as  it  was  called,  to  any  denomination  that  pleased 
him.  Hence  arose  through  New  England  churches  of  all  names. 
The  nucleus  of  the  Episcopal  Church  in  any  place  was  generally! 
some  two  or  three  old  families  of  ancestral  traditions  in  its  favor, 
who  gladly  welcomed  to  their  fold  any  who,  for  various  causes, 
were  discontented  with  the  standing  order  of  things.  Then,  too, 
there  came  to  them  gentle  spirits,  cut  and  bleeding  by  the  sharp 
crystals  of  doctrinal  statement,  and  courting  the  balm  of  devo 
tional  liturgy  and  the  cool,  shadowy  indefiniteness  of  more  aesthet 
ic  forms  of  worship.  Also,  any  one  that  for  any  cause  had  a 
controversy  with  the  dominant  church  took  comfort  in  the  power 
of  *  signing  off '  to  another.  In  those  days,  to  belong  to  no 
nhurch  was  not  respectable,  but  to  sign  off  to  the  Episcopal 
Church  was  often  a  compromise  that  both  gratified  self-will  and 
saved  one's  dignity ;  and,  having  signed  off,  the  new  convert  was 
obliged,  for  consistency's  sake,  to  justify  the  step  he  had  taken  by 
doing  his  best  to  uphold  the  doctrine  and  worship  of  his  chosen 
church." 

The  meeting  of  the  village  politicians  in  "  the  store,"  the 
Doctor's  sermon  against  the  Popish  observance  of  Christmas 
day,  Mr.  Coan's  answer,  Election  Day  in  Poganuc,  and  the 
description  of  the  daily  arrival  of  the  stage  coach,  are  a 
series  of  creations  which  have  become  classic,  having  only 
one  or  two  successful  imitators  in  all  the  company  of 
American  writers. 

*  Hiel  Jones  the  stage  driver  is  unmistakably  a  New  Eng 
land  Yankee,  and  one  as  well  drawn,  and  deservedly  popu 
lar,  as  Sam  Lawson.  He  emphatically  belonged  to  a  social 
and  civic  condition  now  many  years  gone  by,  but  the  pre 
servation  of  this,  his  "counterfeit  presentiment  "  is  a  histor 
ical  boon  to  generations  yet  to  come,  who  will  have  lived 


422  THE  LIFE   WORK   OF   THE   AUTHOR   OF 

too  late,  however  to  have  the  thorough  belief  in  his  person 
ality,  that  comes  to  readers  of  to-day. 

Hiel's  courtship  of  spirited  Nabby  Higgins  is  vastly 
humorous  and  entertaining,  and  little  Dolly's  entrance  into 
refined  society  among  the  dignitaries  of  Poganuc,  shows  the 
social  condition  of  what  composed  the  aristocracy  of  New 
England.  A  most  worthy  ascendancy  of  the  fittest,  it  ap 
pears,  though  not  in  the  least  derogating  from  the  honest 
common  sense  and  native  ability,  of  the  less  cultured  citi 
zens  of  the  town. 

An  irresistible  bit  of  humor  in  a  subsequent  chapter 
entitled  "  The  Puzzle  of  the  Town."  This  lay  in  so  im 
portant  a  question  as  the  situation  of  the  school  house.  Its 
site  was  an  inconvenient  and  unpleasant  one,  but  it  had 
been  thus  far  impossible  to  obtain  the  unanimous  vote  of 
the  citizens  to  move  it  to  a  more  desirable  place.  Zeph 
Higgins,  evidently  a  first  cousin  to  "Uncle  Lot"  is  doubt 
less  one  of  the  strongest  depictions  of  the  author  who  has 
presented  to  us  so  many  clear  cut  and  distinctive  personali 
ties.  While  earnestly  desiring  that  the  school  house  should 
be  moved,  he  always  managed  through  his  unaccountable 
perversity,  to  defeat  any  measures  taken  to  secure  that  end. 
To  the  intense  amusement  of  the  reader,  Zeph  Higgins  at  last 
resolves  to  take  the  affair  into  his  own  hands,  and  with  his 
"boys"  and  several  pairs  of  oxen,  raises  the  school  house 
from  its  foundations  to  his  great  sled,  and  moves  it  to  the 
spot  which  every  one  prefers,  thus  settling  the  question, 
which  he  alone,  has  for  years  kept  open. 

Summer  days  in  Poganuc,  the  excitement  and  patriotic 
burnings  of  the  Fourth  of  July,  the  approach  of  dreamy  au 
tumn  and  later  frosts,  and  the  fascination  and  exhilarating 


UNCLE   TOM'S  CABIN.  423 

joy  of  going  a-chestnutting,  all  reflect  scenes  of  Harriet 
Beecher's  early  youth,  and  have  a  special  charm  and  pathos 
in  this  last  story. 

The  "apple  bee"  and  the  "wood  spell"  are  retrospective 
views  of  the  occasions  in  Lyman  Beecher's  household. 

We  all  know  the  graphic  power  of  Harriet  Beecher 
Stowe,  when  dwelling  upon  themes  which  thoroughly  en 
gaged  her  sympathies.  She  has  never  failed  when  thus 
enlisted,  to  produce  in  the  reader  the  emotions  of  pity,  an 
ger,  or  even  hatred  in  the  intensest  degree.  No  less  power 
fully  could  she  move  at  will  the  springs  of  tears  or  smiles, 
of  overwhelming  enthusiasm  and  uplifting  joy,  over  fiery 
human  experience  which  left  pure  gold  in  the  place  where 
had  been  a  large  admixture  of  dross.  With  all  Mrs. 
Stowe's  severe  criticism  of  Theological  doctrines,  it  must  be 
noted  that  she  never  exhibited  any  of  the  sarcasm  of  relig 
ion  which  so  seriously  taints  much  modern  fiction.  It 
was  a  question  she  could  not  treat  lightly,  and  though  deal 
ing  a  terrible  blow  at  the  dogmatism  and  austerity  of  the 
Puritans,  she  never  failed  to  uphold  and  glorify  the  beauty 
of  Christianity,  in  both  spiritual  and  temporal  lights. 

Keligious  "revivals"  have  come  to  be  regarded  with  a 
sort  of  tolerance  by  a  large  portion  of  intelligent  moralists. 

Even  many  people  who  consider  themselves  Christians, 
mildly  deprecate  the  excitement  and  emotional  upheavals 
which  pertain  to  the  stated  periods,  when  mortals  are  made 
to  realize  in  a  special  manner,  their  sinfulness  and  spiritual 
shortcomings.  But  it  indeed  must  be  a  calloused  heart 
which  can  read  Mrs.  Stowe's  story  of  a  revival  in  Poganuc, 
with  its  bearings  upon  diverse  minds  and  different  individ 
ualities  of  the  parish,  without  feeling  that  this  system  had 


424  THE  LIFE   WORK  OF   THE   AUTHOR  OF 

its  beneficent  influence,  one  which  cannot  be  under-estimated 
without  evincing  considerable  flippancy  in  the  mind  of  the 
objector. 

No  one  can  read  without  emotion,  the  history  of  Zeph 
Higgins  and  the  terrible  discipline  which  he  endured.  He 
was  a  self-willed  man,  who  considered  all  ceremonial  relig 
ious  observances  as  effeminate  demonstrations,  who  rebelled 
at  all  ecclesiastical  authority,  who  found  any  reverential 
attitude  or  words  irksome  to  his  perverse,  ungraceful 
nature ;  who  had  a  Spartan  contempt  for  anything  aesthetic, 
and  all  the  scorn  of  beauty  and  cultivated  expression  which 
characterized  certain  rough  stages  of  New  England  life. 

He  had  quarreled  with  a  friend,  a  fellow  church  member, 
and  had  forsworn  on  this  account  the  church.  He  was  one 
who  cleaved  to  a  quarrel  with  the  tenacity  and  devotion, 
which  we  recognize  as  one  of  the  strange  problems  of  our 
human  nature.  He  hugged  and  nursed  his  wrath  as  closely 
as  if  it  made  him  happy,  instead  of  embittering  his  very  life 
blood. 

Zeph  Higgins  found  his  ideal  of  all  that  was  lovely,  in  his 
wife.  When  she  gathered  her  children  around  her  and 
went  to  church  to  pray  for  them  and  for  him,  he  kept  si 
lence,  because  she,  of  all  the  others  upon  earth,  was  the  only 
being  he  did  not  instinctively  oppose;  Mrs.  Higgins,  after  a 
life  of  hard  work  and  sacrifice,  became  ill,  and  after  some 
weeks  of  sickness,  died.  The  struggles  and  rebellion  of  the 
hard  man,  who  having  not  the  grace  to  accept  blessings 
gratefully,  lacked  still  more  conspicuously  the  patience  to 
bear  with  trouble,  come  home  to  the  reader  with  crushing 
force,  and  one  can  with  difficulty  read  through  the  pages 
which  tell  of  the  inevitable  approach  of  death,  and  the 


UNCLE   TOM'S   CABIN.  425 

stricken  husband's  wildly  useless  and  miserable  rebellion. 

"Will  you  merely  read  of  a  funeral  in  the  old  times  ? 
Then  take  some  less  powerful  writer  in  hand.  This  one 
you  must  perforce  attend,  if  you  read.  You  feel  the  strange 
stillness,  smell  the  close  air,  see  through  the  gloom  of  the 
shrouded  windows,  the  white  wrappings  which  envelop 
the  furniture  and  pictures.  You  hear  through  the  ominous 
silence,  the  ticking  of  the  kitchen  clock,  and  hear  the  hoarse 
whispers  of  the  "  manager." 

Then  the  solemn  tones  of  the  minister's  voice  as  he 
reads  and  prays,  and  the  quavering  voices  of  the  singers 
who  put  their  heads  together  for  an  instant  as  they  try 
to  catch  the  key-note  which  is  given  under  the  breath  of  the 
leader.  Then  the  old  funeral  hymn,  "  China,"  which  has 
added  new  pangs  to  life  and  death  in  its  mournful  move 
ment,  seeming  often  an  exquisite  refinement  of  cruelty 
to  the  wrung  hearts  of  the  mourners,  and  all  who  must 
contemplate  the  end  of  this  existence. 

The  going  out  of  the  coffin  in  the  more  or  less  clumsy 
hands  of  the  bearers ;  their  shuffling  steps  in  the  passage ; 
the  departure  of  the  procession  of  vehicles  to  the  last  resting 
place ;  the  knots  of  friends  who  remain  to  talk  over  the 
personal  affairs  of  the  bereaved  family;  the  twos  and  threes 
of  men  in  their  best  clothes  who  stand  in  the  yard  waiting 
for  the  women  to  go  home ;  all  come  with  vivid  distinct 
ness  before  the  mind,  and  as  long  as  the  writer  wills,  we 
are  spell  bound. 

The  author  gives  her  childish  religious  experience  in  the 
chapter  called  "  Dolly  at  the  Wicket  Gate,"  and  most  ten 
derly  is  it  done. 


426  THE   LIFE   WORK   OF    THE   AUTHOR   OF 

Header,  are  you  "  principled  against  revivals  ?  "  Then 
cease  to  follow  the  story  here,  for  you  will  witness  one  in 
all  its  aspects,  and  much  against  your  will  perhaps,  be 
wrought  upon  as  if  you  verily  heard  the  preacher's  voice 
and  felt  the  silent  influences  of  the  occasion.  Zeph  Hig- 
gins  again  becomes  the  centre  of  interest.  His  unlovely 
desolation,  his  fretful  misery  and  rebellious  sorrow  have 
served  to  almost  deprive  him  of  the  sympathy  of  his  family 
and  friends  ;  the  sympathy  which  he  so  needs  and  longs  for, 
and,  as  usual,  perversely  shuts  away.  Zeph  has  become 
specially  intolerable,  as  he  is  now  debating  with  himself 
whether  he  will  take  the  first  step  towards  reconciliation 
with  his  church,  by  going  to  the  prayer  meeting  which  is  to 
be  held  in  the  school  house  near  by. 

In  the  scene  that  follows,  one  of  the  greatest  Mrs.  Stowe 
ever  created,  there  is  all  of  the  realism  of  the  modern  school, 
with  a  spirit  and  subtle  atmosphere  pervading  the  painting, 
which  lifts  it  into  the  sublime.  Few  representations  in 
literature  are  more  intensely  dramatic  than  the  description 
of  this  meeting  in  a  New  England  school  house.  It  pro 
ceeds  to  a  climax,  ever-growing  in  feeling,  as  poor  cross- 
grained,  contrary,  Zeph  Higgins,  now  broken  and  despair 
ing  in  his  grief  rises  to  confess  his  faults,  declares  himself 
struck  down  by  the  Lord,  and  that  he  cannot  be  resigned. 

His  concluding  words,  "I  ain't  a  Christian,  and  I  can't  be, 
and  I  shall  go  to  hell  at  last,  and  sarve  me  right."  call  no 
attention  to  his  quaintness  of  verbal  expression,  one  is  too 
much  with  him  for  that,  but  they  do  show  in  their  spirit, 
that  having  come  to  this  confession,  he  is  at  last  setting 
himself  right  with  his  own  soul ;  and  that  the  next  step,  that 
of  adjusting  differences  with  his  neighbors  and  becoming 


UNCLE   TOM'S  CABIN.  427 

submissive  to  a  Higher  Power,  will  the  easier  follow.     Let 
the  author  finish  the  chapter. 

"  And  Zeph  sat  down,  grim  and  stony,  and  the  neighbors  looked 
one  on  another  in  a  sort  of  consternation.  There  was  a  terrible 
earnestness  in  those  words  which  seemed  to  appall  every  one  and 
prevent  any  from  uttering  the  ordinary  common-places  of  religious 
exhortation.  For  a  few  moments  the  circle  was  as  silent  as  the 
grave,  when  Dr.  Gushing  said,  '  Brethren,  let  us  pray  ;'  and  in 
his  prayer  he  seemed  to  rise  above  earth  and  draw  his  whole  flock 
with  all  their  sins  and  needs  and  wants,  into  the  presence-chamber 
of  heaven. 

"He  prayed  that  the  light  of  heaven  might  shine  into  the  dark 
ened  spirit  of  their  brother  ;  that  he  might  give  himself  up  utter 
ly  to  the  will  of  God  ;  that  we  might  all  do  it,  that  we  might  be 
come  as  little  children  in  the  kingdom  of  heaven.  With  the  wise 
tact  which  distinguished  his  ministry  he  closed  the  meeting  imme 
diately  after  the  prayer  with  one  or  two  serious  words  of  exhorta 
tion.  He  feared  lest  what  had  been  gained  in  impression  might 
be  talked  away  did  he  hold  the  meeting  open  to  the  well-meant, 
sincere  but  uninstructed  efforts  of  the  brethren  to  meet  a  case  like 
that  which  had  been  laid  open  before  them, 

"After  the  service  was  over  and  the  throng  slowly  dispersed, 
Zeph  remained  in  his  place,  rigid  and  still.  One  or  two  approached 
to  speak  to  him  ;  there  was  in  fact  a  tide  of  genuine  sympathy  and 
brotherly  feeling  that  longed  to  express  itself.  He  might  have 
been  caught  up  in  this  powerful  current  and  borne  into  a  haven 
of  peace,  had  he  been  one  to  trust  himself  to  the  help  of  others  ; 
but  he  looked  neither  to  the  right  nor  to  the  left ;  his  eyes  were 
fixed  on  the  floor  ;  his  brown,  bony  hands  held  his  old  straw  hat 
in  a  crushing  grasp ;  his  whole  attitude  and  aspect  were  repelling 
and  stern  to  such  a  degree  that  none  dared  address  him. 

"  The  crowd  slowly  passed  on  and  out.  Zeph  sat  alone,  as  he 
thought ;  but  the  minister,  his  wife,  and  little  Dolly  had  remained 


428  THE   LIFE   WORK   OF   THE   AUTHOR   OF 

at  the  upper  end  of  the  room.  Suddenly,  as  if  sent  by  an  irresist 
ible  impulse,  Dolly  stepped  rapidly  down  the  room  and  with  eager 
gaze  laid  her  pretty  little  timid  hand  upon  his  shoulder,  crying,  in 
a  voice  tremulous  at  once  with  fear  and  with  intensity,  "  O,  why 
do  you  say  that  you  can  not  be  a  Christian  ?  Don't  you  know 
that  Christ  loves  you  ?  " 

"  Christ  loves  you  ! "  The  words  thrilled  through  his  soul  with 
a  strange,  new  power ;  he  opened  his  eyes  and  looked  astonished 
into  the  little,  earnest,  pleading  lace. 

"  Christ  loves  you,"  she  repeated ;  "  oh,  do  believe  it !  " 

"  Loves  me  \  "  he  said,  slowly.     "  Why  should  he  ?  " 

"  But  he  does  ;  he  loves  us  all.  He  died  for  us.  He  died  for 
you.  Oh,  believe  it.  He'll  help  you  ;  he'll  make  you  feel  right. 
Only  trust  him.  Please  say  you  will !  " 

"  Zeph  looked  at  the  little  face  earnestly,  in  a  softened,  wonder 
ing  way.  A  tear  slowly  stole  down  his  hard  cheek. 

"  Thankee,  dear  child,"  he  said. 

"  You  will  believe  it  ?  " 

"I'll  try." 

"  You  will  trust  Him  ?  " 

"  Zeph  paused  a  moment,  then  rose  up  with  a  new  and  differ 
ent  expression  in  his  face,  and  said,  in  a  subdued  and  earnest 
voice,  "  I  will.  " 

"  Amen !  "  said  the  Doctor,  who  stood  listening,  and  he  silently 
grasped  the  old  man's  hand." 

In  a  few  more  pages,  in  which  various  characters  are  well 
settled  in  life,  and  Dolly  becomes  a  young  lady,  marrying  a 
distant  cousin  whom  she  meets  during  a  visit  to  friends  in 
Boston,  the  story  of  Poganuc  People  closes. 

The  thin,  wrinkled  hands  that  laid  down  the  pen  with 
its  last  word,  never  more  took  up  any  protracted  labor. 
The  weary  brain  rested  now,  and  in  the  years  which 


UNCLE   TOM'S  CABIN.  429 

followed,  dwelt  only  upon  the  themes  of  life  which  were 
new  every  morning  and  fresh  every  evening. 

Mrs.  Stowe  was  induced  to  furnish  two  short  biographical 
articles  for  a  work  published  by  A.  D.  Worthington  &  Co., 
of  Hartford,  called  "  Our  Famous  Women."  These  were  of 
her  eldest  sister,  Catherine  E.  Beecher,  and  Mrs.  A.  D.  T. 
Whitney  whom  she  had  familiarly  known  as  one  of  her 
father's  young  parishioners  in  Boston. 

In  1881  Houghton,  Mifflin  &  Co.,  who  had  now  obtained 
control  of  most  her  works,  issued  the  "Pussy  Willow" 
stories,  and  another  collection  called  "  A  Dog's  Mission  " 
both  of  which  are  most  attractive  juvenile  books. 

The  last  notable  event  in  the  literary  life  of  Harriet 
Beecher  Stowe  was  the  Garden  Party  given  by  Houghton, 
Mifflin  &  Co.,  in  honor  of  her  seventieth  birthday.  It  was 
an  event  of  absorbing  interest  to  a  large  company  of  dis 
tinguished  people  who  were  present,  and  the  great  reading 
public  who  watched  from  thousands  of  English-speaking 
homes  for  an  account  of  the  occasion.  This  was  given  in  a 
supplement  to  the  Atlantic  Monthly.  From  the  facts  there 
given  and  personal  sources  of  information  we  are  furnished 
this  account. 

Messrs.  Houghton,  Mifflin  &  Co.,  began  some  years  ago  a 
series  of  festivals  to  authors,  who  were  contributors  to  The 
Atlantic  Monthly.  They  gave  first  a  Dinner  to  Mr.  Whittier, 
followed  by  a  Breakfast  to  Dr.  Holmes ;  upon  the  approach 
of  Mrs.  Stowe's  70th  birthday  they  offered  a  similar  tribute 
to  her.  Mrs.  Stowe  assented  to  their  proposal,  and  as  Hon. 
and  Mrs.  William  Claflin  generously  tendered  their  spacious 
and  beautiful  country  home  and  grounds  at  Newtonville, 
near  Boston,  for  the  occasion,  the  season  and  the  place  and 


430  THE  LIFE   WOEK   OF   THE   AUTHOR   OF 

Mrs.  Stowe's  well  known  fondness  for  oil  fresco  pleasures, 
suggested  that  the  festival  take  the  form  of  a  Garden  Party. 
The  following  invitation  was  sent  to  many  persons  in  all 
parts  of  this  country,  and  to  several  in  Great  Britain, 
eminent  in  letters,  art,  science,  statesmanship,  and  philan 
thropy  : — 

Messrs.  Houghton,  Mifflin  and  Company  request  the  pleasure 
of  your  presence  at  a  Garden  Party  in  Honor  of  the  Birthday  of 

HARRIET  BEECHER  STOWE, 

at  "  The  Old  Elms  "  (the  residence  of  Hon.  William  Claflin), 
Newton ville,  Mass.,  on  Wednesday,  June  Fourteenth,  1882,  from 
3  to  7  P.  M. 

4  Park  Street,  Boston, 
June  1st,  1882. 

About  two  hundred  guests  gathered  in  response  to  this 
invitation. 

Eev.  Charles  Beecher,  Rev.  and  Mrs.  Henry  Ward 
Beecher,  Rev.  and  Mrs.  Edward  Beecher,  Prof.  Calvin  E. 
Stowe,  Rev.  and  Mrs.  Charles  E.  Stowe,  Mrs.  Mary  B.  Perkins, 
sister  of  Mrs.  Stowe,  Rev.  and  Henry  F.  Allen  and  his  wife, 
who  is  the  youngest  daughter  of  Mrs.  Stowe,  Rev.  Lyman 
Abbott,  A.  Bronson  Alcott,  Thomas  Bailey  Aldrich,  Arlo 
Bates,  Frances  Hodgson  Burnett,  Rose  Terry  Cooke,  Abby 
Morton  Diaz,  Francis  J.  Garrison,  William  Lloyd  Garrison, 
Jr.,  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Curtis  Guild,  Dr.  Oliver  Wendell  Holmes, 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  H.  O.  Houghton,  W.  D.  Howells,  Lucy  Larcom, 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  George  P.  Lathrop,  Mr.  arid  Mrs.  George  H. 
Mifflin,  Louise  Chandler  Moulton,  Charles  C.  Perkins,  Nora 
Perry,  Elizabeth  Stuart  Phelps,  Abby  Sage  Richardson. 


UNCLE   TOM'S  CABIN.  431 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Horace  E.  Scudder,  M.  E.  W.  Sherwood,  J.  T. 
Trowbridge,  Kate  Gannett  Wells,  Mrs.  A.  D.  T.  Whitney, 
Anne  Whitney,  John  G.  Whittier,  and  many  others  of  our 
American  literary  guild,  formed  a  part  of  this  famous  Gar 
den  Party. 

The  day  proved  all  that  could  be  desired  for  such  a  fes 
tival.  It  was  one  of  Nature's  perfect  June  days,  with  the 
atmosphere  exactly  tempered  and  perfumed  fora  high  holi 
day,  such  as  this  proved  to  be  at  Newtonville. 

The  hours  from  three  to  five  o'clock  were  spent  socially. 
On  a  stage  under  the  shade  of  a  great  tent  sat  the  most 
famous  literary  woman  of  the  age,  her  sad  sweet  face 
framed  in  the  gray  hair  which  clustered  in  curls  about  her 
head.  As  guests  arrived  they  were  presented  to  Mrs. 
Stowe  by  Mr.  H.  O.  Houghton,  and  then  they  gathered  in 
groups  in  the  parlors,  on  the  verandas,  on  the  lawn,  and  in 
the  refreshment  rooms. 

At  five  o'clock  they  assembled  in  a  large  tent  on  the 
lawn,  and  after  a  song  by  Mrs.  Humphrey  Allen,  Mr. 
Houghton  gave  an  interesting  address.  This  was  followed 
by  remarks  from  Henry  Ward  Beecher,  in  which  he  said 
that  for  many  years  after  the  publication  of  "  Uncle  Tom's 
Cabin  "  he  was  given  credit,  by  many  wise  people,  of  hav 
ing  written  the  book,  He  said  "  the  matter  at  last  became 
so  scandalous  that  I  determined  to  put  an  end  to  it,  and 
therefore,  I  wrote  'Norwood.'  That  killed  the  thing,  dead." 

Mr.  Whittier  was  present,  to  the  great  satisfaction  of  all 
the  company,  but  he  excused  himself  from  reading  the 
poem  he  had  written,  which  was  read  by  Mr.  Frank  B. 
Sanborn. 

Dr.  Holmes,  on  being  presented,  described  the  circum- 


432  THE  LIFE   WOKK   OF   THE   AUTHOR   OF 

stances  in  which  he  first  read  "Uncle  Tom's  Cabin,"  and 
the  deepening  of  his  interest  in  it,  so  that  he  soon  laid  aside 
the  novel  of  Dickens  which  he  had  been  reading,  and  gave 
himself  up  wholly  to  "  Uncle  Tom's  Cabin "  until  he  had 
reached  the  end.  He  then  read  his  poem,  full  of  his  own 
fine  humor  and  pithy  reflections — three  verses  of  which  are 
here  given, — 

"  If  every  tongue  that  speaks  her  praise 
For  whom  I  shape  my  tinkling  phrase 

Were  summoned  to  the  table, 
The  vocal  chorus  that  would  meet 
Of  mingling  accents  harsh  or  sweet, 
From  every  land  and  tribe,  would  beat 

The  polyglots  of  Babel 

Briton  and  Frenchman,  Swede  and  Dane, 
Turk,  Spaniard,  Tartar  of  Ukraine, 

Hidalgo,  Cossack,  Cadi, 
High  Dutchman  and  Low  Dutchman,  too, 
The  Russian  serf,  the  Polish  Jew, 
Arab,  Armenian,  and  Mantchoo 

Would  shout,  "  We  know  the  lady  ! " 

Know  her  !     Who  knows  not  Uncle  Tom 
And  her  he  learned  his  gospel  from, 

Has  never  heard  of  Moses  ; 
Full  well  the  brave  black  hand  we  know 
That  gave  to  freedom's  grasp  the  hoe 
That  killed  the  weed  that  used  to  grow 

Among  the  Southern  roses." 

Then  followed  the  poems  of  Mrs.  A.  D.  T.  Whitney  and 
Elizabeth  Stuart  Phelps,  the  latter  being  read  for  her,  by 


UNCLE   TOM'S  CABIN.  433 

Dr.  Holmes.  J.  T.  Trowbridge  then  read  a  poem,  which, 
was  afterwards  printed  in  the  Youth's  Companion,  entitled 
"  The  Cabin." 

Mrs.  Allen,  daughter  of  Mrs.  Stowe,  contributed  a  poem, 
which  was  read  by  her  husband,  Kev.  Henry  F.  Allen. 

Mrs.  Annie  Fields  who  was  at  this  time  in  Europe,  wrote 
a  poem  in  honor  of  the  occasion,  which  was  then  read,  fol 
lowed  by  the  bright  sonnet  of  Miss  Charlotte  F.  Bates. 

Speeches  were  made  by  Judge  Albion  "W.  Tourgee,  Eev. 
Edward  Beecher,  Mr.  Edward  Atkinson  and  others.  Mr. 
Atkinson  described  an  interview  between  Professor  Lieber 
and  Senator  Preston,  of  South  Carolina,  who  was  of  the 
extreme  type  of  Southern  men  before  the  war.  "Uncle 
Tom's  Cabin  "  had  just  appeared,  and  conversation  turned 
upon  it.  The  senator  was  strongly  excited,  and  in  reply  to 
a  question  he  said,  "  We  have  read  Uncle  Tom's  Cabin,  and 
I  know  it  is  true.  I  can  match  every  instance  in  it  out  of 
my  own  experience." 

Music  by  the  Germania  Band  and  the  Beethoven  Club, 
and  songs  by  Mrs.  Humphrey  Allen  at  intervals  during  the 
speeches  and  poems,  lent  variety  and  enjoyment  to  the 
brilliant  entertainment. 

Mr.  Hough  ton  then  stated  that  Mrs.  Stowe  had  consented 
to  say  a  few  words,  and  as  she  came  to  the  front  of  the 
platform  her  earnest  face  lighted  with  deep  feeling,  her 
speaking  eyes  looked  kindly  upon  the  company,  all  of 
whom  she  saw  were  warm  with  sympathy  and  love  for  her. 

Many  of  them  were  veterans  of  the  abolition  "Old 
Guard,"  personally  unassuming  and  "fanatical"  as  ever,  but 
profoundly  satisfied  now  that  fulfillment  of  their  hope  had 
come. 


434  THE  LIFE   WORK   OF  THE   AUTHOR   OF 

Everyone  rose  by  a  simultaneous  impulse  of  affectionate 
respect,  and  listened  with  eager  interest  while  in  her  simple 
and  unemotional  manner,  she  spoke  as  follows : — 

"  I  wish  to  say  that  I  thank  all  my  friends  from  my  heart, 
— that  is  all.  And  one  thing  more, — and  that  is,  if  any  of 
you  have  doubt,  or  sorrow,  or  pain,  if  you  doubt  about  this 
world,  just  remember  what  God  has  done;  just  remember 
that  this  great  sorrow  of  slavery  has  gone,  gone  by  forever. 
I  see  it  every  day  at  the  South.  I  walk  about  there  and 
see  the  lowly  cabins.  I  see  these  people  growing  richer 
and  richer.  I  see  men  very  happy  in  their  lowly  lot ;  but 
to  be  sure,  you  must  have  patience  with  them.  They  are 
not  perfect,  but  have  their  faults,  and  they  are  serious  faults 
in  the  view  of  white  people.  But  they  are  very  happy, 
that  is  evident,  and  they  know  how  to  enjoy  themselves, — 
a  great  deal  more  than  you  do.  An  old  negro  friend  in  our 
neighborhood  has  got  a  new,  nice  two-story  house,  and  an 
orange  grove,  and  a  sugar-mill.  He  has  got  a  lot  of  money 
besides.  Mr.  Stowe  met  him  one  day,  and  he  said,  'I  have 
got  twenty  head  of  cattle,  four  head  of '  hoss,'  forty  head  of 
hen,  and  I  have  got  ten  children,  all  mine,  every  one  mine.1 
Well,  now,  that  is  a  thing  that  a  black  man  could  not  say 
once,  and  this  man  was  sixty  years  old  before  he  could  say 
it.  With  all  the  faults  of  the  colored  people,  take  a  man 
and  put  him  down  with  nothing  but  his  hands,  and  how 
many  could  say  as  much  as  that  ?  I  think  they  have  done 
well. 

"  A  little  while  ago  they  had  at  his  house  an  evening  fes 
tival  for  their  church,  and  raised  fifty  dollars.  We  white 
folks  took  our  carriages,  and  when  we  reached  the  house 
we  found  it  fixed  nicely.  Every  one  of  his  daughters  knew 


UNCLE   TOM'S  CABIN.  435 

how  to  cook.  They  had  a  good  place  for  the  festival.  Their 
suppers  were  spread  on  little  white  tables,  with  nice  clean 
cloths  on  them.  People  paid  fifty  cents  for  supper.  They 
got  between  fifty  and  sixty  dollars,  and  had  one  of  the  best 
frolics  you  could  imagine.  They  had  also  for  supper  ice 
cream,  which  they  made  themselves. 

"  That  is  the  sort  of  thing  I  see  going  on  around  me.  Let 
us  never  doubt.  Everything  that  ought  to  happen,  is  going 
to  happen}'  In  those  last  words  was  condensed  her  living 
faith  in  the  goodness  of  God  and  His  working  all  things  for 
the  best.  It  was  a  belief  which  she  never  gave  up,  in  the 
darkest  hours  of  her  life.  It  was  the  one  conviction  which 
enabled  her  to  do  her  grand  work.  She  had  courage  and 
its  resultant  attribute  hope,  which  Wilkinson  touchingly 
characterizes  "  that  last  obduracy  of  noble  rninds." 

After  Mrs.  Stowe's  remarks,  Mr.  Houghton  felicitously 
expressed  the  gratitude  of  the  company  to  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Claflin  for  the  kind  courtesy  which  had,  with  rare  generos 
ity,  given  their  house  and  grounds  for  the  festival.  The 
company  then  slowly  dispersed,  many  gathering  about  Mrs. 
Stowe  for  congratulation  and  farewell. 

Many  letters  of  regret  were  received,  but  only  four  of 
them  were  read  at  the  Garden  Party. 

These  letters  were  placed  in  Mrs.  Stowe's  hands, — all  of 
them  expressing  regret  in  not  being  able  to  be  present  to 
participate  in  the  pleasures  of  the  festival,  and  showing 
strong  appreciation  and  admiration  for  her  and  the  power 
ful  influence  she  had  exerted  throughout  the  land.  Follow 
ing  are  the  names  of  some  illustrious  people  from  whom 
these  letters  were  received: — E.  B.  Hayes,  J.  E.  Lowell, 
George  "William  Curtis,  G.  W.  Cable,  Thomas  K.  Beecher, 
Mary  Mapes  Dodge,  H.  M.  Alden,  Eebecca  Harding  Davis, 


436  THE   LIFE   WORK   OF   THE    AUTHOR   OF 

George  Gary  Eggleston,  Wendell  Phillips,  Henry  Cabot 
Lodge,  Eev.  William  H.  Beecher,  Eev.  Phillips  Brooks, 
Prof.  Alexander  Agassiz,  John  Burroughs,  Henry  James, 
Eev.  Samuel  Longfellow,  Ernest  Longfellow,  and  the 
Misses  Longfellow,  Dr.  E.  W.  Emerson,  Judge  Nathaniel 
Holmes,  Louise  M.  Alcott,  Julia  Ward  Howe,  Col.  T. 
W.  Higginson,  S.  L.  Clemens,  Dr.  Samuel  Eliot,  Hon.  Carl 
Schurz,  Eev.  Dr.  C.  A.  Bartol,  Eev.  Edward  Abbott,  and 
many  others. 

Eose  Terry  Cooke,  her  beloved  friend  and  young  co-la 
borer  in  literature,  especially  that  pertaining  to  abolition, 
early  New  England  Theology,  and  characteristic  Yankee 
thought  and  custom,  has  said  of  this  occasion: 

"Praise  was  showered  upon  her  like  incense;  poems  read 
in  her  honor ;  and  before  her  gathered  a  crowd  of  friends 
with  love  and  laud  in  every  eye,  on  every  lip;  but  it  was 
not  for  the  praise  of  men  to  ruffle  her  serene  countenance 
or  disturb  the  dreamy  peace  of  her  eyes,  that  seemed  bent 
upon  some  far  away  distance, 'where  the  babble  of  earth  is 
heard  no  more,  but  the  silent  welcome  of  heaven  is  ready 
and  waiting. 

She  received  her  ovation  with  the  calm  simplicity  of  a 
child,  and  in  a  few  words  of  gracious  thanks  and  counsel, 
dismissed  her  guests,  when  all  their  speech  had  been  uttered, 
and  went  out  with  her  husband,  her  son  and  her  grandchil 
dren  into  the  fresh  June  air,  the  young  summer  verdure, 
and  the  crowding  flowers,  and  away  to  her  home  and  its 
duties,  as  a  saint  to  her  cell,  untouched  by  the  hot  breath 
of  flattery,  unmoved  by  the  loud  plaudits  of  men,  calm  in 
that  mild  consciousness  of  devotion  and  duty  that  is  deeper 
and  dearer  than  this  life's  most  earnest  homage,  or  its  rich 
est  gifts." 


UNCLE   TOM'S  CABIN.  437 

With  this  event  ended,  in  effect,  the  public  career  of  the 
author  of  "Uncle  Tom's  Cabin."  The  remaining  years  of 
her  life  were  quiet  and  restful.  She  had  leisure;  the  deli 
cious  ease  and  freedom  from  pressing  work,  for  which  she 
had  longed  so  many  burdened  years. 

She  enjoyed  the  sweet  do-nothingness  which  should  come 
to  all,  in  the  afternoon  of  their  lives. 

She  could  indulge  her  desire — long  suppressed  in  her 
laborious  literary  life — to  read. 

She  could  take  precious  mornings,  all  to  herself,  in  the 
green  fields  and  woods.  She  could  stop  by  the  way  to  call 
upon  a  friend.  And,  when  her  husband,  bowed  with  the 
weight  of  years,  became  ill,  needing  tender  care,  she  could 
give  it  to  him,  with  the  fullness  and  devotion  which  free 
dom  from  other  duties  permitted. 

At  last,  when  he  had  passed  on,  she  could  live  in  serene 
contentment,  quietly  awaiting  her  summons  to  follow  him 
whither  so  many  loved  ones  seemed  to  be  drawing  her  heart 
and  soul. 

When  her  mind,  from  the  weakening  of  its  mortal  case 
ment,  gradually  became  abstracted  from  her  earthly  sur 
roundings,  and  it  appeared,  a  year  ago,  that  the  call  had 
come  for  her  to  enter  the  new  life,  the  world  paused,  dread 
ing  to  hear  of  the  death  of  the  grandest  woman  of  the  age. 

Her  wandering  thoughts  were  full  of  the  sublimities  of 
the  promised  land  where  so  many  friends  reached  forth  wel 
coming  hands. 

There  she  would  be  free  from  physical  ills;  there 
she  would  be  young  again ;  there  would  the  vigor  of 
her  spiritual  self  be  restored;  there  would  she  find  the 
reward  for  her  work  here:  but  so  strong  was  her  sym- 


438  THE   LIFE   WORK    OF   THE    AUTHOR   OF 

pathy  with  this  world,  so  long  had  her  thoughts  and  feel 
ings  been  turned  towards  the  weal  and  woe  of  humanity, 
that  the  thread  would  not  be  severed,  and  she  still  stands 
with  reluctant  feet  near  the  brink  of  the  river. 

She  is  forgetful  of  the  past.  She  no  longer  regards  the 
future  with  intelligent  anticipations.  She  is  dimmed  and 
deluded  as  to  earthly  concerns,  yet  holds  with  marvelous 
tenacity  to  her  physical  tenement. 

It  has  been  said  she  died,  when  her  clouded  intelligence 
appeared  to  go  out  under  the  fell  stroke  of  apoplexy,  but  it 
still  flashes  up  clearly  at  intervals,  showing  that  she  is  merely 
imprisoned  by  bodily  infirmities,  until,  her  spirit  finally 
released,  the  windows  shall  open  toward  Heaven,  and  her 
freed  soul  go  home. 

When  Harriet  Beecher  Stowe  laid  down  her  pen,  a  great 
mental  and  spiritual  force  ceased  to  act.  When  she  rested 
from  work,  an  influence  which  has  proved  more  pervasive 
and  lasting  than  that  of  any  other  living  writer,  no  longer 
thrilled  upon  the  questi  ons  of  the  age. 

When  she  had  said  her  farewell  to  the  world,  in  the  few 
simple  words  at  the  Birthday  Garden  Party,  there  left  the 
stage  a  woman  who  has  marked  an  era;  one  who,  superior 
to  the  ephemeral  interests  of  humanity  in  general,  and  her 
sex  in  particular,  dealt  in  principles ;  who  looked  over  and 
beyond  social  and  political  conventionalities  at  eternal 
truths  ;  and  having  received  an  immortal  message  spoke  it, 
fearlessly — with  pain  often,  but  grandly,  gloriously. 

A  genius  she  was,  with  high  and  peculiar  gifts  of  nature 
and  an  intuitive  power,  which  guided  her  unerringly  to  the 
ends  to  be  achieved,  but  supporting  it,  was  a  conscientious- 


BEECHER  STOWE  IN  HER  OLD  AGE. 


UNCLE    TOM'S   CABIN.  439 

ness  that  was  sublime,  a  courage  that  was  indomitable,  a 
persistence  that  was  irresistible. 

To  these  qualities,  must  be  attributed  the  prominence  she 
held  even  over  that  mighty  generation  of  her  own  family, 
which  is  now  passing  away.  Among  the  tremendous  influ 
ences  which  went  forth  from  its  array  of  orators,  scholars 
and  teachers,  hers  was  strongest  and  most  enduring. 

To  these  forces,  must  be  credited  her  political  status, 
which  is  high  among  the  illustrious  company  of  American 
statesmen,  not  one  of  whom  ever  made  so  powerful  a  mani 
festo  as  her  book  against  Negro  Slavery,  which  marked  an 
epoch  not  only  in  our  national  history  but  throughout  trie 
civilized  world. 

But  for  these,  "  Uncle  Tom's  Cabin,"  which  a  literary 
historian  has  recently  declared  "  stands  upon  the  top  shelf, 
side  by  side  with  the  *  Illiad,'  'Don  Quixote,'  'Pilgrim's- 
Progress,'  and  their  half  dozen  peers,"  would  never  have 
been  written. 

But  for  these  living  fires,  her  knowledge  of  the  old  sys 
tems  of  New  England  theology,  and  observation  of  its  effects, 
upon  human  character,  would  never  have  found  expression 
in  "  The  Minister's  Wooing " — a  work  whose  literary 
merits  alone,  place  her  name  with  those  of  Irving,  Bryant, 
Longfellow,  Emerson,  Hawthorne,  Holmes,  Lowell  and  Whit- 
tier,  those  great  contemporaries  who  formed  the  first  import 
ant  and  distinctive  wave  of  native  American  literary  talent, 

It  is  stimulating,  it  is  splendidly  encouraging,  to  look 
through  the  eloquent  beauty  of  her  descriptions,  through  the 
tense  fibre  and  rare  strength  of  her  arguments,  through  the 
melting  tenderness  and  contagious  humor  of  her  philosophy, 
behind  the  almost  unaccountable  momentum  of  her  literary 


440  THE    LIFE   WORK    OF   THE    AUTHOR   OF 

power,  to  these  moving  springs.  For  back  of  the  book  was 
the  mind  and  heart.  Back  of  the  work  was  the  woman, 
brave,  consistent  and  unassuming. 

So,  she  leaves  us  not  only  the  noble  legacy  of  her  written 
thoughts,  but  the  priceless  heritage  of  her  personal  example. 

It  is  that  of  a  well  endowed  life  grandly  lived. 


THE  END. 


FNVIRONMENT. 


A   STORY   OF    MODERN    SOCIETY. 


THE  following  letter   from   Mrs.  HARRIET  JBEECHER  STOWE  to  the 

author,  shows  her  estimate  of  "  ENVIRONMENT  "  : 

"  HARTFORD,  July  27th,  1887. 

"  DEAR  MADAM  :  —  I  have  many  books  sent  to  me  with  the  request  that  I  will 
read  and  give  the  author  the  benefit  of  my  opinion.  In  many  cases  it  is  almost 
impossible  to  read,  and  having  read,  more  impossible  to  know  what  to  say.  But  I 
found  when  reading  your  book  a  strong  mental  and  moral  animus,  differing  en 
tirely  from  most  modern  stories.  It  is  not  a  trashy,  sentimental  love  story — 
though  there  is  a  sufficiency  of  the  love  element  in  it  to  give  it  interest. 

"  It  is  truly  a  Christian  story.  .  .  The  alcohol  which  wrought  all  the  mischief 
and  danger  was  prescribed  and  insisted  on  by  a  doctor  1  This  presents  to  all 
honorable  medical  men  a  question  of  conscience.  .  .  . 

•*  I  must  express  the  hope  that  your  book  will  be  widely  and  thoughtfully  read 
and  do  the  good  it  was  evidently  intended  to  do.  ... 

"  More  than  ever  your  friend, 

»»  H.  BEECHER  STOWE. 

What    is    Said    of   It. 

New  York  Tribune  :  "  A  picture  true  to  nature  and  to  science." 

Chronicle,  San  Francisco:  "  The  book  is  heartily  commendable  for  its  in 
trinsic  value." 

Dr.  Root,  Medical  Expert,  Hartford,  Conn. :  "  '  Environment '  is  not  a  book 
on  temperance,  but  embraces  a  careful  study  of  spiritual  and  physical  phenom 
ena  which  many  people  would  do  well  to  observe." 

Prof.  William  Cleaver  Wilkinson,  D.D.:  "  It  contains  points  which  irre 
sistibly  remind  me  of  George  Eliott." 

Brooklyn  (N.  Y.)  Times:  "  The  catastrophe  of  the  story  is  unhackneyed, 
and  it  speaks  eloquently." 

New  York  Christian  Advocate  :  "The  story  is  of  thrilling  interest." 


12mo,  Cloth,  4O4  pp.    Price,  $1.25,  Postpaid. 


FUNK  &  WAGNALLS,  Publishers,  18  and  20  Astor  Place,  New  York 


in  the 


.  A. 


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fi   AS  STAMPED  bhLOW 


•tm  on26wl_APR_28 
CIRCULAT 


JAN  1  0  2005 


FORM  NO.  DD  6,  40m,  6'76 

CIPGULAHON 


UNIVERSITY  OF  CALIFORNIA 
BERKELEY,  CA  94720 


